The social self: understanding how social context modifies self-bias - ELPHINSTONE

The concept of self is a core construct that shapes the way people perceive, think, and act. People show strong biases towards information related to themselves over information related to others (i.e., the self-bias effect). For instance, people process their own faces and names faster than others’ faces and names. The self-bias effect has not only been shown in highly familiar self-related stimuli (e.g., faces and names), but also been demonstrated in newly learned self-related stimuli. For example, people processed random shapes, such as a triangle, square, or circle, that were arbitrarily associated with themselves faster than those shapes associated with others.

In real life, people are constantly in close proximity to one another, be it in an open-plan office, or simply walking along the street. However, research on self-bias so far has always been done individually, missing the significance of social context in self-bias. Research in social psychology has clearly shown that cognitive processes underlying human behaviours cannot be fully understood without taking into account how they are shaped by other individuals. Thus, the goal of this project is to understand the effect of various social contexts on the self-bias process. Findings from this project will shed light on how human behaviour is shaped by the interplay between two people.

Methods: The first part of the project will look at how the mere presence of another person affects self-bias. The second part will look at how co-action (cooperation and competition) affects self-bias. The third part of the project will look at how communication affects self-bias. Depending on the progress of the project, there is a possibility to use neurophysiological technique (i.e., dual EEG) to investigate the interaction of the neural networks underlying the self-bias and joint action processes.

Full training on relevant skills and techniques will be provide. The PhD researcher will have access to a large volunteer participant panel and well-equipped labs for behavioural and EEG studies.

To be considered for funding you will need to be UK or EU students, with the equivalent to a 1st class Honours undergraduate degree or a 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree alongside a Masters with Merit or Distinction. International applicants who meet this condition and can pay the difference between the Home and International Fees would also be considered.

Applications must include: 1) An on-line form completed through the applicant portal. 2) a letter of support from the project supervisor. 3) Two academic references – please attach the references to the application or include full referee contact details. 4) A CV outlining your academic qualifications and research experience to date. 5) academic transcripts from previous degree(s).