Mere Mnemonic Superiority In Self: To Own Or To Choose?

A large body of research has focused on the difference between self and non-self,However, there is little evidence of the internal self. Previous studies have indicatedthat Ownership and Choice are two important psychological operations of the internalself. How to resolve when they are in contradiction to each other， meanwhile,previous studies used concrete materials have some disadvantages. The current threestudies, which employed abstract nouns as experimental materials to explore thedifference of ownership and choice on self. Based on previous research, Study1(Ownership effect) and Study2(Choice effect) were compared from the view of selfwith other. and the Study3was compared the ownership and choice within theinternal self. Study1using abstract nouns to investigate the mere ownership effect(MOE) from the tests of recognition and free recall. The result showed that both therecognition and free recall condition, participants remembered self-owned items moreabstract nouns than those that were other-owned, suggesting that ownership elicits astrong memory trace. The result indicated that abstract nouns can produce ownershipeffect. Study2employed abstract nouns to explore the mere choice effect (MCE). Theresults demonstrated that not only recognition but also free recall, participantsremembered more abstract nouns which self-chosen rather than other chosen. theresults revealed that self-choice significantly enhanced memory relative to choice bythe other person, it is argued that the MCE transfer to abstract nouns. Moreover, basedon the significant effects of Study1and Study2, paired participants in Study3tookturns to be the “Chooser”, choosing which of two abstract nouns would be put intotheir own basket and which would be given to the other participant. The analysis ofrepeated-measures ANOVA revealed an interaction between Ownership and Choice,Participants recalled the largest number of abstract nouns for self-chosen andself-owned, but the least quantity of abstract nouns for other-chosen and other-owned.However, Only when participants as the chooser that a memory advantage for abstractnouns encoded as self-owned. It is speculated that “choice” may play a moreimportant role than “ownership” in self. Due to the different level of motivation andthe depth of processing. These findings are discussed with reference to the different levels of the cognitive processes underline both the MOE and the MCE in self.There is important theoretical and practical significance for the present studies.In discussing theoretical implications, we explored two internal psychologicalcomponents of self (ownership and choice). This results can help to understanding theessential self. Moreover, it is the first time to investigated the mere effects ofownership and choice simultaneously. From the perspective of practical implications,our research supported that creating more ‘feeling of choice’ than ‘feeling ofownership’ might have a larger impact on work attitudes and work behaviors. Todesign more illusive choices in daily life situations which maybe enhance individual’sesteem, therefore, it maybe have positive effect on children when let them have morechoice rather than decide by parents.