Abstract
Self-reference has been found to facilitate general and source memory for both young and older adults. However, most studies done on self-reference effect have been focused on Western populations for whom the self is considered an independent and distinct entity. Little is known about how self-reference, as a potential mnemonic strategy, would work for people with an interdependent self-construal (such as East Asians), particularly with age. In this study, we investigated the effect of self-reference on memory for both younger and older adults in two types of cultures: individualistic (represented by Americans) and collectivistic (represented by East Asians). Because the self should serve as a less salient memory cue in collectivistic cultures, we expected that self-referencing would be a less effective strategy for younger and older adults in East Asian culture. Consistent with previous studies, self-referencing benefited source memory disproportionately more than other encoding conditions relative to general memory. We also found that younger and older people in both cultures benefited equally from self-referencing, indicating self-reference as a strategy can be applied across cultures.