Abstract
The self-reference effect (SRE) refers to better memory for self-relevant than for other-relevant information. Generally, the SRE is found in conditions in which links between the stimuli and the self are forged in the encoding phase. To investigate the possibility that such conditions are not prerequisites for the SRE, this research developed two conditions by using two recognition tasks involving abstract geometric shapes (AGSs). One was the cue-in-encoding condition in which self- and other-cues were presented to construct links with AGSs during the encoding phase, and the other was the cue-in-retrieval condition in which self- and other-cues were presented to construct links with AGSs during the retrieval phase. The SRE was found in both conditions. The findings reveal that self-cues merely presented during the retrieval phase are sufficient to induce the SRE. Links between the stimuli and the self constructed during the encoding phase may not be necessary prerequisites for the SRE.
Highlights
The modulation of cognition and behavior by the self, a well-developed construct, has been verified by accumulating data (Cunningham and Turk, 2017)
The analysis revealed a significant interaction between Cue and Condition [F(1,154) = 29.68, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.16], with two main effects: for Cue, memory performance being significantly higher on Self than on Other trials [F(1,154) = 172.97, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.53; Ms = 0.32 vs. 0.19, respectively]; for Condition, memory performance being significantly higher for CIE than for CIR [F(1,154) = 9.87, p = 0.002, ηp2 = 0.06; Ms = 0.29 vs. 0.23, respectively]
The present results reveal an self-reference effect (SRE) in both of the recognition tasks, that is, when a self- or other-relevant cue was presented at encoding or at retrieval
Summary
The modulation of cognition and behavior by the self, a well-developed construct, has been verified by accumulating data (Cunningham and Turk, 2017). Most of these studies attempted to illustrate how the self influences memory. As the self is thought to originate from socially engineered mental schema of motives, emotions, actions, and outcomes of both oneself and others (Murray et al, 2014), these studies compared self- with other-referential processing and revealed a processing bias, termed the self-reference effect (SRE), toward self- rather than other-referential information (Klein, 2012). The SRE was widely scrutinized and demonstrated in conditions in which the self was linked with stimuli by presenting self-cues during the encoding phase (Symons and Johnson, 1997)
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