Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Lawrence, Ross
• Chai, Xiaoqian J
• Dritschel, Barbara

Titel

Self-referential encoding of source information in recollection memory

Ist Teil von

• PloS one, 2021-04, Vol.16 (4), p.e0248044-e0248044

Ort / Verlag

United States: Public Library of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Information that is encoded in relation to the self has been shown to be better remembered, yet reports have disagreed on whether the memory benefit from self-referential encoding extends to source memory (the context in which information was learned). In this study, we investigated the self-referential effect on source memory in recollection and familiarity-based memory. Using a Remember/Know paradigm, we compared source memory accuracy under self-referential encoding and semantic encoding. Two types of source information were included, a "peripheral" source which was not inherent to the encoding activity, and a source information about the encoding context. We observed the facilitation in item memory from self-referential encoding compared to semantic encoding in recollection but not in familiarity-based memory. The self-referential benefit to source accuracy was observed in recollection memory, with source memory for the encoding context being stronger in the self-referential condition. No significant self-referential effect was observed with regards to peripheral source information (information not required for the participant to focus on), suggesting not all source information benefit from self-referential encoding. Self-referential encoding also resulted in a higher ratio of "Remember/Know" responses rate than semantically encoded items, denoting stronger recollection. These results suggest self-referential encoding creates a richer, more detailed memory trace which can be recollected later on.