%A Dr Jan Eichstaedt %A Dr Paul J. Silvia %O In Press, SOCIAL COGNITION. %T Noticing the self: Implicit assessment of self-focused attention using word recognition latencies %X Self-focused attention is difficult to measure. Two studies developed an implicit measure of self-focus based on word recognition latencies. Self-focused attention activates self-content, so self-focused people should recognize self-relevant words more quickly. Study 1 measured individual-differences in self-focused attention. People scoring high in private self-consciousness recognized self-relevant words more quickly. Study 2 manipulated objective self-awareness with a writing task. People who wrote about distinctive self-aspects (high self-awareness) recognized self-relevant words more quickly compared to people who wrote about a neutral topic (low self-awareness) and people who did no writing (control). The discussion considers implications for future research on self-focused attention. %D 2003 %K self-awareness, self-focused attention, implicit assessment, word recognition %L cogprints3272