In cognitive psychology, how do self-schemas influence the way we process information about ourselves?

• A. Self-schemas only affect how we process information about other people, not ourselves.
• B. Self-schemas help us quickly organize and interpret information that is relevant to our self-concept.
• C. Self-schemas make us process all information about ourselves in a completely unbiased way.
• D. Self-schemas prevent us from recalling any information about ourselves.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that self-schemas are cognitive structures that represent organized knowledge about the self, including traits, experiences, and beliefs.
2. Recognize that self-schemas influence how we attend to, interpret, and remember information related to ourselves, making processing more efficient.
3. Note that self-schemas help us quickly organize and interpret information that aligns with our self-concept, guiding what we notice and how we understand it.
4. Acknowledge that self-schemas do not cause completely unbiased processing; rather, they can lead to selective attention and memory consistent with our self-view.
5. Conclude that self-schemas specifically affect processing of self-relevant information, not information about others, and they do not prevent recall but shape it.