Introduction
People are different, and each person perceives information in a unique way. An individual may better memorize a fact or an opinion if they can associate themselves with the presented knowledge. For example, people may have a finer comprehension of a movie if they can relate to situations or characters portrayed in the film. Such a phenomenon can be described by the selfreference effect (SRE). The presented study aims to examine whether good recognition depends on the SRE, meaning, for instance, that individuals may recall more words under the SRE condition over other circumstances. It is necessary to conduct a literature review to support the purpose of the proposed investigation.
Discussion
The first assessed article illustrates the differences in people’s perceptions of information. Durbin et al. (2017) analyzed how self-referential processing affects item recognition and source memory. The researchers divided the study into two experiments, with one using words and the other employing pictures (Durbin et al., 2017). The participants were 24 students in each part of the investigation (Durbin et al., 2017). Independent variables (IVs) in one using words experiment and employing pictures experiment were represented by two conditions, with participants shown 216 words and 252 pictures, respectively, and asked to make self-referential (SR) or non-self-referential (NSR) judgments (Durbin et al., 2017). Dependent variables (DVs) were item recognition and source memory, measured utilizing ANOVA (Durbin et al., 2017). The findings revealed that SR-ly encoded words and pictures were identified better than those processed NSR-ly (Durbin et al., 2017). However, source memory was superior for positive items perceived SR-ly in using words experiment and for those observed NSR-ly in employing pictures experiment (Durbin et al., 2017). The item recognition results support the proposed study’s hypothesis by suggesting that if people remember SR-ly encoded data, they are also likely to recall the exact words better under the SRE condition.
In comparison, the second reviewed article’s authors examined the SRE concerning two types of source information. Yin et al. (2019) also conducted two experiments, one focused on spatial location of words, and the other concentrated on color as contextual information. The participants were students from Southwest University, of whom 69 were involved in spatial location of words and 71 in color as contextual information (Yin et al., 2019). IVs were represented by self-referential (SR), other-referential (OR), and semantic conditions, with participants divided into intentional- and incidental-learning groups (Yin et al., 2019). For both experiments, DVs were item memory and source memory, and they were measured by employing ANOVA (Yin et al., 2019). In, spatial location of words recollection of words and their SL was better under the SR condition, and the participants made fewer source mistakes and responded more unhesitatingly (Yin et al., 2019). In color as contextual information, the findings revealed that the SRE could improve memory for words but not their color (Yin et al., 2019). The results concerning the participants’ morale in their responses support the proposed research’s hypothesis by suggesting that people are likely to feel more confident about their IM under the SRE.
Recent research also suggests that there are other factors that affect memory and recollection. A recent study by Marsh et al. (2019) explores the phenomenon of primacy and recency effects, which refer to the tendency for people to better remember information presented at the beginning and end of a sequence, respectively. They highlight the inconsistencies and gaps in the previous research and propose a new theoretical framework that integrates ideas from several existing theories, including the attentional-energizing account, the distinctiveness account, and the serial-position curve model (Marsh et al., 2019). The authors also present a new experiment that tests the predictions of their framework by manipulating the type of information presented (words, pictures, or both) and the presence of distractors (Marsh et al., 2019). The results support the predictions of the framework and suggest that primacy and recency effects are influenced by various factors, including the type of information being presented, the length of the sequence, and the presence of distractors. Overall, the authors conclude that their framework provides a comprehensive and flexible account of primacy and recency effects that can explain the inconsistencies and gaps in previous research.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the reviewed articles highlight the importance of self-reference processing in memory and recognition. The studies by Durbin et al. (2017) and Yin et al. (2019) suggest that individuals are likely to better remember information when it is processed in a self-referential manner, and this effect is more prominent for item memory than for source memory. Marsh et al. (2019) complement these findings by exploring the primacy and recency effects in memory, indicating that various factors influence these effects, such as the type of information being presented and the presence of distractors. Together, these studies emphasize the importance of considering individual differences in memory and recognition processes and the need to investigate further the factors that influence these processes. Understanding the mechanisms underlying memory and recognition can have important implications for education, clinical settings, and everyday life.
References
Durbin, K. A., Mitchell, K. J., & Johnson, M. K. (2017). Source memory that encoding was selfreferential: The influence of stimulus characteristics. Memory, 25(9), 1191-1200. Web.
Marsh, E. J., Butler, A. C., & Green, C. S. (2019). Primacy and recency effects in learning and memory: A review and experimental study. Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 368–393. Web.
Yin, X., Ma, Y., Xu, X., & Yang, H. (2019). The effect of self-referencing on memory for different kinds of source information. Memory, 27(4), 519-527. Web.