Examination or reporting of one's own mental states. A report of an experience, an accurate prediction of performance and an explanation of the process causing a response are different claims. Experiments can test them separately.[ref]
Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Processes by Richard E. Nisbett and Timothy D. Wilson. Distinction between reports and access to higher-order processes
The introspection illusion is overconfidence in the completeness or accuracy of one’s access to the processes that produced a judgment or action. A person can accurately report a current feeling while misidentifying what caused it. Comparing verbal explanations with experimentally manipulated influences tests that distinction. Choice blindness supplies a striking example: a plausible reason can be given for an outcome covertly substituted for the one originally selected. [ref]
Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Processes by Richard E. Nisbett and Timothy D. Wilson. 1977, access to mental contents versus access to causal processes
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Introspection is the process of examining and analyzing one's own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It involves reflecting on one's internal mental state and gaining insight into personal motivations, beliefs, and emotions. Introspection is often used in psychology to encourage self-awareness and understanding, and it can also play a role in various philosophical discussions regarding consciousness and self-knowledge.