Self-Focused Attention as a Moderator of LH Effects

Abstract

With the introduction of cognitive concepts to social and clinical psychology, theorists and researchers have begun to suggest that the individual’s focus of attention may be a critical element in the shaping of cognition, emotion, and behavior (e.g., Carver & Scheier, 1981; Duval & Wicklund, 1972; Gibbons, 1990). They borrow from cognitive psychology the idea that attention selects information for further processing (Anderson, 1990) and suggest that the act of directing attention toward the self (self-focus) may facilitate the processing of the particular types of information needed for translation of intentions into actions. Self-focus helps to decipher the personal meaning of a transaction and enables people to adjust their behavior so that it will promote attainment of their goals.