Self-Reference in Elaborative Processing of Desirability of Trait Adjectives

Abstract

We investigated whether the desirability of trait adjectives was elaboratively processed during self-reference tasks (Exp. 1–1, 1–2) and whether desirability information played a role in memory processes in self-reference tasks (Exp. 2). In Exp. 1–1, 14 participants performed a series of initial tasks and target tasks, which were self-reference, evaluative, or semantic. Responses on the evaluating target task were faster when the initial task was self-reference rather than semantic. Exp. 1–2 demonstrated that information relevant to the evaluative task did not facilitate the process of performing an other-reference task. Although there was no evidence that desirability information had a role in the self-reference effect in Exp. 2, desirability of trait adjectives was specifically processed during self-reference tasks.