Study title

Self-Referential Thinking and the Cone of Gaze 2021-2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3590

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3590
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3590

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Hietanen, Jonne (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Syrjämäki, Aleksi (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Hietanen, Jari (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between self-referential thinking and cone of gaze (the range of gaze directions that are perceived as self-directed). The data were collected in a psychology experiment. The dataset combines the data from participants who participated in the original experiment in 2021 and participants who participated in the replication of the experiment in 2022.

The data include the participants' responses to three tasks during the experiment. In the first task, the participants were asked to write at least five sentences on each of three questions, either about themselves or about other people, depending on the participant group that they belonged to. In the second task, the participants were asked to judge whether the avatar faces presented on the computer screen looked directly at them or not. In the third task, the participants had to complete 20 sentences with the most appropriate personal pronoun. Between each task, the participants answered an attention check trial which included one question. In the original experiment, the participants completed all three tasks and in the second replication experiment the participants only completed the first and third tasks.

Background variables included the participant's gender, age, years of full-time education, and information about the computer used to complete the experiment.

Keywords

cognitive processes; cognitive psychology; psychological research; psychology; social cognition

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Language and linguistics (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Hietanen, Jonne (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)

Funders

• Academy of Finland (330158)

Time Period Covered

2021 – 2022

Collection Dates

• 2021-07-05 – 2021-07-27
• 2022-05-18 – 2022-05-31

Nation

United Kingdom

Geographical Coverage

United Kingdom

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

United Kingdom residents aged 18 and over whose first language is English and whose vision is normal or corrected-to-normal (excluding Individuals with a history of neurological or psychiatric illness)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

All individuals registered on the Prolific platform who met the inclusion criteria for the study and had a 100% acceptance rate in the surveys they had answered on the platform were eligible to participate in the study. Those who had participated in the pilot trials were not eligible. Only respondents who used a desktop computer or laptop were eligible to participate.

All participants who completed the survey satisfactorily were paid a small reward for their participation. Those who completed the first experiment were paid £1.88 and those who completed the second experiment were paid £1.75.

Collection Mode

Experiment

Research Instrument

Other research instrument (A psychology experiment, which was conducted online and included open-ended questions, yes/no questions, and multiple-choice questions.)

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

161 variables and 529 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The variables in the data have been named after the test tasks: T1 (Sentence task), T2 (Gaze cone task) and T3 (Linguistic Implications Form). In parentheses are the names used by the researcher for the tasks. The second experiment did not include a gaze cone task (T2 Gaze cone task). In the T1 variables, the letter after the variable name indicates the participant group: S= self-referential group and C= control group.

The dataset includes data from participants who took part in the first experiment and participants who took part in the second experiment. It is possible to distinguish between participants who took part in the first vs. the second experiment by means of the Experiment variable. Participants in the original experiment (Experiment 1, N:221) were randomly divided into two groups (self-referential group and control group), with the self-referential group answering questions about themselves in the first task (T1 Sentence task) and the control group answering questions about other people. In the second experiment (Experiment 2, N:308), participants were randomly divided into three groups: self-referential group, control group and passive group, with the passive group skipping the first task (T1). The different groups can be distinguished from each other by the GroupNum variable.

To prevent identification of participants, the researcher has replaced the participants' answers in the first task (T1 Sentence task) with information on how many sentences each participant wrote in response to each question.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Hietanen, Jonne (Tampere University) & Syrjämäki, Aleksi (Tampere University) & Hietanen, Jari (Tampere University): Self-Referential Thinking and the Cone of Gaze 2021-2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2022-10-20). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3590; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3590

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Other Material

See downloadable files at the top of the page.

Self-Referential Thinking and the Cone of Gaze study website

More information about the methodology of the study can be found on the website.

Related Publications

Hietanen, J. O. & Syrjämäki, A. H & Hietanen, J. K. (2022). Perception of eye contact, self-referential thinking and age. Consciousness and Cognition 106, 103435.