Looking back in time: self-concept change affects visual perspective in autobiographical memory.
People who change often report that their old selves seem like "different people." Correlational (Study 1) and experimental (Studies 2 and 3) studies showed that participants tended to use a 3rd-person observer perspective when visualizing memories of actions that conflicted with their current self-concept. A similar pattern emerged when participants imagined performing actions that varied in self-concept compatibility (Study 4). The authors conclude that on-line judgments of an action's self-concept compatibility affect the perspective used for image construction. Study 5 shows applied implications. Use of the 3rd-person perspective when recalling past episodes of overindulgent eating was related to optimism about behaving differently at an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. The authors discuss the effect of self-concept compatibility on cognitive and emotional reactions to past actions and consider the role of causal attributions in defining the self across time.
Libby
Lisa K
LK
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. LKL3@cornell.edu
Eibach
Richard P
RP
D001325:Autobiographies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011897:Random Allocation; D012649:Self Concept; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception