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The self-reference effect in memory: a meta-analysis

C S Symons1, B T Johnson

  • 1Department of Psychology, Houghton College, New York 14744, USA.

Psychological Bulletin
|May 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Relating information to yourself improves memory recall. This self-reference effect (SRE) occurs because our minds naturally organize and elaborate on self-related information, enhancing retention.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Studies

Background:

  • The self-reference effect (SRE) is a well-documented phenomenon in memory research.
  • Prior theories suggest that self-referent encoding enhances memory by promoting organized and elaborate processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and meta-analyze the empirical basis for the mnemonic superiority of self-reference.
  • To investigate the conditions under which the SRE is smaller, specifically when compared to other-referent or semantic encoding, and when tasks emphasize organization and elaboration.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive review of existing literature on the self-reference effect.
  • A meta-analysis comparing memory performance across self-reference (SR), other-reference (OR), and semantic encoding strategies.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The meta-analysis confirmed a significant self-reference effect, with SR encoding outperforming both semantic and OR encoding.
  • The SRE was smaller when SR was compared to OR encoding, and when comparison tasks fostered organization and elaboration.

Conclusions:

  • The self-reference effect primarily arises because the self is a highly developed cognitive construct that facilitates organized and elaborate information processing.
  • Findings support theories positing that the self's structure aids memory encoding and suggest avenues for future research into the SRE.