Why did I do that?: Explaining Actions Activated Outside of Awareness

A Gantman; M.A. Adriaanse; P.M Gollwitzer; G Oettingen

doi:10.3758/s13423-017-1260-5

Why did I do that? Explaining Actions Activated Outside of Awareness

A Gantman, M.A. Adriaanse, P.M Gollwitzer, G Oettingen

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Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We review the latest research investigating how people explain their own actions when they have been activated nonconsciously. We will discuss evidence that when nonconsciously activated behavior is unexpected (e.g., normviolating, against self -standards), negative affect arises and triggers confabulations aimed to explain the behavior. Nonconsciously activated behaviors may provide a window into everyday confabulation of (erroneous) explanations for behavior, which may also affect self-knowledge. Implications for self-concept formation and intentionality are discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1563-1572
Number of pages	10
Journal	Psychonomic Bulletin and Review
Volume	24
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-017-1260-5
Publication status	Published - 2017

Keywords

Confabulation
Explanatory vacuum
Nonconscious goal pursuit
Priming

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abstract = "We review the latest research investigating how people explain their own actions when they have been activated nonconsciously. We will discuss evidence that when nonconsciously activated behavior is unexpected (e.g., normviolating, against self -standards), negative affect arises and triggers confabulations aimed to explain the behavior. Nonconsciously activated behaviors may provide a window into everyday confabulation of (erroneous) explanations for behavior, which may also affect self-knowledge. Implications for self-concept formation and intentionality are discussed.",

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AB - We review the latest research investigating how people explain their own actions when they have been activated nonconsciously. We will discuss evidence that when nonconsciously activated behavior is unexpected (e.g., normviolating, against self -standards), negative affect arises and triggers confabulations aimed to explain the behavior. Nonconsciously activated behaviors may provide a window into everyday confabulation of (erroneous) explanations for behavior, which may also affect self-knowledge. Implications for self-concept formation and intentionality are discussed.

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KW - Nonconscious goal pursuit

KW - Priming

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DO - 10.3758/s13423-017-1260-5

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JO - Psychonomic Bulletin and Review

JF - Psychonomic Bulletin and Review

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ER -

Why did I do that? Explaining Actions Activated Outside of Awareness

Abstract

Keywords

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