Exploring individual differences in self-reference effects for agency and ownership in 5- to 7-year-olds

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The self-reference effect (SRE) demonstrates that self-relevant information is preferentially remembered.
• The SRE is observable in children as young as 4 years old, impacting both recognition and source memory.
• Previous research indicates the SRE's presence but has not fully explored its relationship with individual differences in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the memorial advantage for self-relevant information in 5-7 year olds.
• To examine how general ability, theory of mind, empathy, and recollection influence the self-reference effect.
• To elucidate the cognitive and social factors underlying the SRE in early childhood.

Main Methods:

• Children (n=39) aged 5-7 years participated in a memory task involving picture selection and ownership attribution.
• Participants made recognition and source memory judgments on previously studied and new pictures.
• Individual differences in general ability, theory of mind, empathy, and recollection were assessed.

Main Results:

• A robust self-reference effect was observed in recognition memory, particularly for agency-related information.
• The SRE's magnitude positively correlated with general intellectual ability.
• Conversely, the SRE showed negative correlations with theory of mind, empathy, and recollection.

Conclusions:

• Self-relevant information benefits from elaboration mediated by domain-general cognitive processes.
• Social cognitive factors, such as theory of mind and empathy, may counteract the SRE by directing attention towards others.
• These findings highlight the complex interplay between self-referential processing and social-cognitive development in memory.