title: Self, memory, and the self-reference effect: an examination of conceptual and methodological issues.
abstract: The author argues that the self is a multifaceted entity that does not easily submit to clear and precise description. The aspect of self studied by most investigators is actually a subset of the cognitive and neural underpinnings of "self" and not the "self" of first-person subjectivity. The author then looks at the dominant theoretical treatment of human long-term memory-the systems approach-and examines how the construct of "self" is situated in this framework. Finally, he reviews the best-known paradigm for exploring the role of self in memory-the self-reference effect (SRE) manipulation. He argues that there is not one SRE but rather a family of related SREs that are influenced by a variety of variables and contexts. Accordingly, researchers must exercise caution when attempting to draw conclusions about the self from the results of SRE memory performance.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106-9660, USA. klein@psych.ucsb.edu
authors.forename: Stanley B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept