Division of Psychology, University of Abertay Dundee, UK.
Br J Dev Psychol. 2013 Sep;31(Pt 3):289-301. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12005. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
The self-reference effect (SRE) is the reliable memory advantage for information encoded about self over material encoded about other people. The developmental pathway of the SRE has proved difficult to chart, because the standard SRE task is unsuitable for young children. The current inquiry was designed to address this issue using an ownership paradigm, as encoding objects in the context of self-ownership have been shown to elicit self-referential memory advantages in adults. Pairs of 4- to 6-year-old children (n = 64) sorted toy pictures into self- and other-owned sets. A surprise recognition memory test revealed a significant advantage for toys owned by self, which decreased with age. Neither verbal ability nor theory of mind attainment predicted the size of the memory advantage for self-owned items. This finding suggests that contrary to some previous reports, memory in early childhood can be shaped by the same self-referential biases that pervade adult cognition.
自我参照效应（SRE）是指对自我相关信息的记忆优势，而不是对他人相关信息的记忆优势。SRE 的发展途径很难被描绘，因为标准的 SRE 任务不适合幼儿。本研究旨在通过所有权范式来解决这个问题，因为在自我所有权的背景下对物体进行编码已被证明会在成人中引起自我参照记忆优势。64 名 4 至 6 岁的儿童（n=64）将玩具图片分类到自我和他人拥有的组中。一项惊喜的识别记忆测试显示，自我拥有的玩具具有显著的优势，这种优势随着年龄的增长而降低。言语能力和心理理论的获得都不能预测自我拥有物品的记忆优势的大小。这一发现表明，与之前的一些报告相反，幼儿的记忆可以被成人认知中普遍存在的自我参照偏见所塑造。
