title: Self-esteem modulates the time course of self-positivity bias in explicit self-evaluation.
abstract: Researchers have suggested that certain individuals may show a self-positivity bias, rating themselves as possessing more positive personality traits than others. Previous evidence has shown that people evaluate self-related information in such a way as to maintain or enhance self-esteem. However, whether self-esteem would modulate the time course of self-positivity bias in explicit self-evaluation has never been explored. In the present study, 21 participants completed the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and then completed a task where they were instructed to indicate to what extent positive/negative traits described themselves. Behavioral data showed that participants endorsed positive traits as higher in self-relevance compared to the negative traits. Further, participants' self-esteem levels were positively correlated with their self-positivity bias. Electrophysiological data revealed smaller N1 amplitude and larger late positive component (LPC) amplitude to stimuli consistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-high self-relevant stimuli) when compared to stimuli that were inconsistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-low self-relevant stimuli). Moreover, only in individuals with low self-esteem, the latency of P2 was more pronounced in processing stimuli that were consistent with the self-positivity bias (negative-low self-relevant stimuli) than to stimuli that were inconsistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-low self-relevant stimuli). Overall, the present study provides additional support for the view that low self-esteem as a personality variable would affect the early attentional processing.
authors: Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Lili
authors: L
authors: Guan
authors: Mingming
authors: M
authors: Qi
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult