No modulation effects of depressive traits on the self-face advantage

Lee, J. K. W., Janssen, S. M. J. and Estudillo, A. J. (2024) No modulation effects of depressive traits on the self-face advantage. Personality and Individual Differences, 220. 112524. ISSN 01918869 doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2023.112524

Abstract/Summary

The self-face advantage (SFA) is reflected through a faster recognition of a self-face compared to other faces. It has been suggested that this effect is prompted by one's positive self-evaluations. However, it is unclear whether negative self-concepts (depressive traits) also affect the SFA. The present study explored this possibility using a visual-search task. In Experiment 1, participants with low and high depressive traits were asked to search for frontal view images of self and unfamiliar faces among arrays of unfamiliar faces. Regardless of group, participants were better and faster in searching for the own face compared to the unfamiliar face. Similar findings were observed in Experiment 2, but the participants were more accurate when searching for their happy self-face compared to their sad and neutral faces. These results suggest that SFA is not modulated by depressive traits (i.e., negative self-concepts) and that familiarity effects for the own face could be implicated as an underlying factor for an attentional prioritization of the own face.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/114655
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.paid.2023.112524
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	University of Reading Malaysia
Publisher	Elsevier
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