Self-reference promotes vocabulary learning in a foreign language

Encoding information in reference to the self leads to improved memory, a phenomenon termed the self-reference effect. Learning vocabulary in a foreign language (L2) is a challenging memory task, because learning thousands of words is necessary to achieve listening and reading comprehension. The current study examined the efficacy of self-reference encoding for L2 vocabulary learning. In Experiment 1, native Hebrew speakers learned rare English words with a self-reference task and a control condition of translation repetition. In Experiment 2, participants learned with the same self-reference task and a control task of semantic processing. Across both experiments, memory was higher in the self-reference condition in both an immediate and a delayed test one week later. Thus, self-reference might be adopted as a learning tool in L2 vocabulary learning. Further, we demonstrate the contribution of self-reference to learning new information, going beyond previous demonstration of its positive impact on episodic encoding of known information.