thinking about the self influences thinking

Thinking about the self influences thinking in general:
cognitive consequences of salient self-concept
Ulrich K€uhnena and Daphna Oyserman

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 38 (2002) 492–499

Abstract
Two studies support our hypothesis that connected and interdependent self-focus evokes a generally context-dependent cognitive
mode (focused on object–context relations) and provide some evidence that separate and independent self-focus evokes a generally
context-independent cognitive mode (focused on objects,independent of contexts). Consistent with our predictions,experimental
manipulation of interdependent self-focus influences cognitive speed/accuracy (Experiment 1) and memory (Experiment 2). When
primed self-focus is congruent with the perceptual task at hand,perceptual speed increases (as shown by a significant task by prime
interaction effect) and when primed,interdependent self-focus improves memory for incidentally encoded contextual information.
Further research to link primed and chronic self-focus effects is called for.