Introduction to the Research Study The purpose of the research study, “Self-Reference and the Encoding of Personal Information” by Rogers et al. (1997) was to find out if relating new information to the self can help someone remember and process new information better. There were 32 subjects for the study (16 male and 16 female) with an average age of 20.2 years. They were volunteers from an introductory psychology course. The procedure for the experiment started by showing the subjects 40 adjectives, one at a time. After being shown the adjective, they rated each adjective in one of four categories: structural (“Is it in big letters?”), phonemic ("Does it rhyme with XXXX?"), semantic ("Does it mean the same as YYYY?"), or self-reference ("Does this describe you?"). After rating all the adjectives, they had three minutes to write down as many adjectives as they could remember. A computer displayed the questions and adjectives and kept track of the answers. The main research finding showed that people remembered adjectives that described themselves the most. It showed that relating new information we learn to ourselves helps us remember it better. The finding also showed that our sense of self is deeply involved in how we process information. Connection with Textbook The research article was mentioned in the textbook, “COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience” by Goldstein (2019) in Chapter 7 on page 194. The article was mentioned under the subtitle of “linking words to yourself”, and it was only cited as an article that gave more information on a more recent study that studied the same topic. The author stated in a short paragraph that the two studies had the same result. However, the key difference in Rogers’ study was that participants remembered words with different encoding techniques. This added to the findings because it showed that self-reference is more effective than structural, phonemic, and semantic encoding. That would have been a good point to add into the textbook, because it add an extra layer that self-reference is more effective than other strategies. Application to a Diverse World The results can be used in people’s lives by trying to relate information they have to learn to themselves. This technique could be used in any scenario. For example, a nurse learning a new technique can think about how it will improve their ability to care for a patient. Since the skill is more practical and applicable, they are more likely to remember it. That is because they made it more important by relating it to themselves. The application of the research could fall short for kids in school. This is because it might be difficult for young kids to relate the topics they are learning in school. It can be harder for them to learn if they are uninterested in the topic or there is not a clear way they can relate the topics to themselves. Also, kids might have less life experiences because they are younger and that can make it challenging for them to relate to the new information. Teachers can keep this in mind and instead of relating the information to the kids’ lived experiences, they could perhaps relate it to their future. Reminding kids how they could use the information in the future could help them understand its relevance and create a connection to themselves. Why This Study This relates to my current professional goals because it shows an effective way for people to learn and remember new information. I could use the findings from this study in my group therapy sessions that I lead with teenagers and make sure to keep the content relatable to them. They would be more engaged with the lesson if they could relate to the material I teach through examples or thinking about scenarios in their life. They are more likely to use the skill in their everyday life if they pay attention and remember the lesson. Reference Rogers, T. B., Kuiper, N. A., & Kirker, W. S. (1977). Self-reference and the encoding of personal information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(9), 677-688–688. https://doiorg.ezp.slu.edu/10.1037/0022-3514.35.9.677 Goldstein, Bruce E. “Chapter 7/ LTM: Encoding, Retrieval, and Consolidation.” COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience, Cengage, Boston, MA, 2019, pp. 194–194.
