The Self-reference Effect in Prospective Memory and Its Cognitive Mechanisms in Elementary School Students Aged 7 to 11 Years

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.0775

Abstract

Abstract:

This study employed the ownership paradigm for the first time to investigate the existence of the self-reference effect (SRE) in prospective memory (PM) among elementary school students aged 7 to 11. Through three experiments, the findings revealed that: (1) Regardless of whether ownership was actively selected (Experiment 1) or passively assigned (Experiment 2), elementary school students exhibited the SRE in PM, with older students demonstrating a stronger effect. (2) Under a high cognitive load condition, the SRE in PM was absent in the salient and non-salient target conditions among elementary school students. Conversely, under a low cognitive load condition, the SRE was observed in the non-salient PM targets but not in the salient targets. Additionally, individuals flexibly allocated cognitive resources before and after the appearance of PM targets in self- and other-referenced conditions based on task demands. When cognitive resources were insufficient, individuals prioritized self-reference PM targets (Experiment 3). In conclusion, a stable SRE can be observed in the PM of elementary school students when employing the ownership paradigm, with large effects in the upper elementary school grades. The generation of the SRE in PM requires cognitive resources, which are deployed flexibly based on task demands and showcase a dynamic processing characteristic. The finding supports the notion that the SRE in PM involves cognitive resource-intensive dynamic processing, which can further enrich the dynamic processing theory of PM.

Key words: prospective memory, self-reference effect, cognitive resource, elementary school student

XIN Cong, CHEN Youzhen, TIAN Mi, LIU Guoxiong. (2025). The Self-reference Effect in Prospective Memory and Its Cognitive Mechanisms in Elementary School Students Aged 7 to 11 Years. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 57(5), 775-791.

Figures/Tables 14

Figure 1. Illustration of the experimental procedure.

Figure 2. Stimulus presentation.

Figure 3. PM accuracy (left) and reaction times (right) for different age groups and referenced conditions.
Note. Error bars indicate two standard errors of the mean; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001; same below.

Figure 4. PM accuracy (left) and reaction times (right) for different age groups and referenced conditions.

Figure 5. Stimulus presentation (exemplified by the high cognitive load and salience target condition).

Figure 6. PM accuracy for different cognitive load and referenced conditions.

Figure 7. PM accuracy for different target salience and referenced conditions.

Figure 8. PM accuracy for different cognitive load, target salience, and referenced conditions.

Figure 9. PM reaction times for different cognitive load and referenced conditions.

Figure 10. PM reaction times for different target salience and referenced conditions.

Figure 11. PM reaction times for different cognitive load, target salience, and referenced conditions.

Figure 12. Reaction times for the ongoing task for different trial types and referenced conditions.

Figure 13. Reaction times for the ongoing task for different cognitive load, trial types, and referenced conditions.

Figure 14. Cognitive resource-intensive dynamic processing.

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