Me and my mom: Self and mother provide similar memory benefits for source memory in adolescents

Abstract

The self-reference effect (SRE) is a memory benefit found in both adolescents and adults that occurs when new information is connected to the self, facilitating improved recall and recognition. The memory benefit extends to close others, with adults better remembering information encoded in reference to close others as compared to information encoded in connection to an unfamiliar other or neutral control condition, but this has not yet been shown in younger adolescents. The present study examined the role of self and close other in source memory in 41 adolescents (10–14 years old) and 44 young adults (18–25 years old). Findings showed that participants had significantly better memory for information connected to the self and close other compared to other referent conditions and that patterns of memory across conditions are similar in both young adults and adolescents. These findings add to our understanding of the use of self and other referencing in memory in adolescents.