The Self-Reference Effect on Memory in Early Childhood Sheila J. Cunningham and David J. Turk

1. Cue Self Other University of Aberdeen The Self-Reference Effect on Memory in Early Childhood Sheila J. Cunningham and David J. Turk University of Aberdeen, Scotland • INTRODUCTION • The self-reference effect (SRE) is the memory advantage for information • encoded with reference to self (Symons & Johnston, 1997). • It is argued that young children do not show the SRE, because it relies on a rich • self-construct to elaborate incoming self-relevant information (e.g., Halpin et al., • 1984; Pullyblank et al., 1985). • However, research to date has used a paradigm requiring abstract trait • evaluation, which is unsuitable for young children. Children’s early self- • processing biases may therefore be underestimated. • For the current study, we designed a concrete evaluation task that allowed children to apply their stored knowledge at encoding. RESULTS Fig. 1: Recognition memory (untransformed data) • Recognition data were transformed into A’ scores. • ANOVA revealed a significant SRE, with • better memory for self-cued than other-cued • items (F(1,50) = 20.1, p < .001). • Total memory increased with age (F(2,50) = 16.8, • p < .001), and there was a significant Age x • Referent interaction(F(2,50) = 4.3, p = .019). • Paired-samples t-tests confirmed an SRE in all • age groups (4yrs: t(17) = 3.4, p = .004; 5yrs: t(18) = • 2. 5, p = .022; 6yrs: t(18) = 2.3, p = .034). • However, regression analysis showed that • the SRE was predicted by age in months(β = • -0.42, p = .007). Receptive vocabulary, self-esteem • and self-consciousness did not predict the SRE. • METHOD • 53 four to six year-old children evaluated concrete objects against a referent. • (17 four yrs (M 55.7 mths), 18 five yrs (M 65.3 mths), 18 six yrs (M 76.7 mths)) • Referent-cues (p’s own or another’s face) were presented with objects. • There were two repeated-measures conditions: • Self: ‘do you really like this object?’ • Other: ‘would Andrew really like this object?’ • Children responded by pressing the happy or neutral face button (96 trials). • Recognition memory for the objects was then assessed (96 Old, 48 New items). • Additional measures: receptive vocabulary, self-esteem, self-consciousness • DISCUSSION • These results show that the SRE on memory can be found in early childhood. • This finding mirrors the SRE in adult cognition, suggesting that encoding information with • reference to self can enhance memory across the lifespan, given age-appropriate tasks. • The SRE did not increase with development. Indeed, there was a tendency for the SRE to • decrease with age (perhaps reflecting ceiling effects), and verbal ability and self-concept • development did not predict the SRE magnitude. • This lack of developmental increase argues against the idea that the SRE is driven by the • application of self-knowledge (which increases with age). • Rather, automatic responses to self-cues (such as increased attention, affect, and priority • binding) may underlie the effect. References Halpin, J. A., Puff, C. R., Mason, H. F., & Marston, S. P. (1984). Self-reference encoding and incidental recall by children. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 22, 87-89. Pullyblank, J., Bisanz, J., Scott, C., & Champion, M. A. (1985). Developmental invariance in the effects of functional self-knowledge on memory. Child Development, 56, 1447-1454. Symons, C.S., & Johnson, B.T. (1997).The self-reference effect in memory: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 371-394.Contact: sheila.cunningham@abdn.ac.uk