Abstract: Self creates and influences memory; memory also creates and influences self. The first part of this reciprocal relation has been repeatedly confirmed by studies on self-reference effect. These studies have showed that when material is processed in reference to the self, the corresponding memory performance is usually better than that for material processed in reference to others. Theoretically, however, what these previous studies have explored is the effect of just one part of the self (i.e. individual self) on memory in that the reference object employed in the self-referential processing task is the subjects themselves. How the other parts of the self (e.g. collective self) may influence memory has not been explored, so the present study was designed to examine whether there is a collective self-reference effect, namely, group-reference memory superiority effect.
Method
Two experiments were administered to explore whether processing information in reference to a self-identified group would facilitate memory performances. According to the definition of collective self, it was hypothesized that this kind of task can activate some elements of the collective self (mental representation for the group one identifies him/herself with). Seventy three Chinese college students were recruited as participants (40 and 33 college students in Experiment 1 and 2, respectively). Chinese and Americans were chosen as the self-identified group and the comparison group. Experiment 1 consisted of two parts. In part one, four orienting tasks were arranged: self-referential processing, Chinese-referential processing, American-referential processing and other (Luxun)-referential processing. During each task, participants were asked to make judgment in a scale of 5 points on the current reference object using the trait adjective words displayed on computer screen one by one in a rate of 1word/4 seconds. In part 2, a surprise recognition test with Remember/Know judgment (Conway & Dewhurst, 1995; Tulving, 1985) was administered. Experiment 2 was a replication of Experiment 1 with a minor modification on the specific judgment content.
Results
Results from the two experiments consistently showed that recognition rates were significantly higher when trait words were encoded in reference to Chinese than that for trait words processed in reference to American, thus confirming the group-reference memory superiority. That is, the collective self was shown to be able to facilitate memory as the individual self does. The two processing tasks did not differ in “remember” or “know” index. Additionally, recognition rates and “remember” judgment rates were significantly lower in Chinese-referential processing task than those in self-referential processing task. According to the taxonomy of individual self, relative self and collective self, self-reference effect was considered to reflect the effect of individual self on memory, while group-reference effect reflected the effect of collective self on memory with a relatively smaller magnitude.
Conclusions
This study confirmed the group-reference superiority effect, which shows that materials processed in reference to collective self (one’s in-group) can be better remembered than those encoded in reference to an out-group. In addition, the group-referential processing was shown to be an effective task for studying the cognitive implications of collective self

Key words: group-reference effect, self-reference effect, group-referential processing, individual self, collective self