Relevance, valence, and the self-attention network

Abstract

Consistent with the authors’ suggestions for research on extensions beyond the self (e.g., to joint attention and group-related processes), we offer the hypothesis that the Self-Attention Network may facilitate attention to any person who is construed as similar to the self along key dimensions. On the basis of existing literature and our recent findings, we focus on the dimensions of personal relevance and valence. Further research on how these dimensions mediate attention to self and others has the potential to unify separate lines of research on the neural representation of self and others (i.e., social cognition).