Self-Reference Effect Basics
What is the self-reference effect?
The tendency to remember information better when relating it to oneself.
Why does self-referential processing lead to better memory encoding?
It creates a more meaningful and distinctive memory code.
Name one cognitive factor that makes self-reference effective.
The self provides a rich set of distinctive cues.
How many studies were included in their meta-analysis?
129 studies.
According to Foley et al. (1999), what experimental issue might underestimate the self-reference effect?
Participants may "cheat" and use self-referential processing even when instructed to use shallow processing.
Self-reference tasks encourage this type of processing.
Deep processing.
Which type of processing resulted in the highest recall?
Self-reference processing.
How does elaboration contribute to the self-reference effect?
It connects personal traits, improving retrieval accuracy.
What research method did Symons & Johnson (1997) use to study the self-reference effect?
Meta-analysis.
In the Foley et al. (1999) study, what two types of mental imagery were compared?
Visualizing an object and imagining using the object.
According to the self-reference effect, are people more likely to recall words that apply to them or words that don’t?
Words that apply to them.
In T.B. Rogers’ (1977) study, what four types of processing did participants use?
Visual, acoustic, semantic, and self-reference processing.
How does rehearsal play a role in self-referential memory?
Associating information with oneself leads to more frequent and complex rehearsal.
What did the meta-analysis confirm about self-reference processing?
It leads to significantly better recall than semantic or other processing methods.
What surprising result did Foley et al. (1999) find when analyzing recall?
Recall rates were identical (42%) for both visualization and self-reference conditions.