Cognitive Neuroscience of Self-Reflection

Abstract Thinking about ourselves is a cognitive process fundamental to human mental life. This chapter focuses on the cognitive neuroscience approach taken by psychologists to understand self-reflection. Several principles have emerged. First, the self is a superordinate schema—information about the self is encoded in a separate cognitive structure than information about other topics. Second, there is a brain network somewhat dedicated to self-reflection. Third, this brain network overlaps with a network that is active when we rest. Fourth, such overlaps suggest that much of our mental machinery is in fact given over to social processes, a conclusion unthinkable prior to the onset of functional neuroimaging. Finally, disorders of the self (e.g., autism and schizophrenia) leave individuals with difficulties in recalling the stable nature of their selves. Future directions for the cognitive neuroscience of self-reflection are discussed at the end of the chapter.