Self-attention and the egocentric assumption of shared perspectives

Five studies looked at the relationship between self-directed attention and the egocentric assumption that others think in the same way as the self. In each study, subjects were asked to make two different judgments, one based on their own reasoning and another indicating what they thought others would think. Self-attention was examined both as an experimental manipulation and as a dispositional variable. Each study found that as self-focus or public self-consciousness increased, so did the assumption of shared perspectives. Discussion focused on the relationship between self-focused attention and self-centered thought.