Influence Of Rewards Processing To Self-Reference

In 1977, Rogers et al. found self-reference effect(Self-Reference Effect, SRE)of memory in a psychology experiment for the first time, the self-reference effect means that when information related to self-concept, individuals will conduct rapid processing and better memory. When memory material linked to self, it can make better effect than other conditions. Self-reference effect is a kind of cognitive processing advantages. That means people tend to priority processing self-related stimuli. Since then, the relationship between the self and memory would be explored experimentally. It’s also attracted a large number of self-related memory researchers ’ attention. Rewards can guide human behavior, and promote us to get effective resources. Reward is often been defined as some stimuli or object that is eager to obtain and can be obtained by completing specific tasks. In the present study, we will make the reward as a tool to arouse motive in the task, it will contribute to driving individual to allocate more resources and efforts to accomplish the task. In recent years, some researchers have explored the relationship between self and reward by neuropsychological methods. They have discovered the existence of common mechanism between reward and self. This finding has important significance,because it reflects the potential impact that prize may have on self processing in the daily life.The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the reward processing can enhance the self-reference effect. For reward group,compared with friend condition, it can lead a better memorizing effect under self conditions. According to previous research, emotional valence also affected self-reference effect significantly as an important factor affecting memory. The second experiment objective of this study is to prove that emotional valence can influence reward processing enhancement to the self-reference effect. The study’s experiment was divided into two parts, with the classic paradigm of self-reference effect: R / K paradigm. Thus, this study is divided into two parts, the first experiment used neutral emotional words to investigate the effect of reward processing on self-reference and to prove weather reward processing could enhance self-reference effect; Another experiment used the same experimental paradigm but different emotional valence words to further explore whether the emotional valence could affect reward processing enhancement to the self-reference effect. In this paper, the first experiment proved that the enhancement of rewarding to self-reference is better than friend-reference. Which means reward processing promoted self-reference effect. The second experiment proved that under the condition of positive emotional words, self-reference can make better memorizing effect than acquaintance reference in the rewarding condition.Experiment conclusion: reward processing has effect on self-reference and influenced by emotional valence. The enhancement of positive emotional words is strongest. We did not find that negative emotion words could enhance self-reference effect. Experimental data supported the parallel processing model of self-reward processing.