The self-reference effect with imagery encoding.

Reviews studies that have shown that memory for an item is better when that item is encoded with reference to the self than when it is encoded with reference to some other person and examines the work of C. G. Lord (see record 1981-07095-001), who observed a reversal of the self-reference effect and attributed this reversal to use of imagery. The present series of 6 experiments conducted with 261 undergraduates contradicted Lord's hypothesis that the self-reference effect is reversed when Ss use imagery to encode the material. In these experiments, self-reference effects were consistently observed with imagery instructions. It is suggested that the benefit of self-reference results from the use of episodic memory when forming images of the self. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)