Rudan Xue¹, Yang Sun¹; ¹Shenyang Normal University, Liaoning, China

Ample evidence indicates a processing priority for self-related information, manifested as advantages in attentional capture and memory enhancement. Working memory serves as a finite cognitive resource system supporting the short-term storage and manipulation of information, and its performance is modulated by cognitive load and temporal factors. However, while it is established that self-related information can influence memory recognition, whether it similarly affects perceptual precision in working memory remains to be further explored. Therefore, this study conducted four experiments to examine how cognitive load (2 vs. 4 items) and retention interval (1000 ms vs. 2000 ms) modulate the self-advantage effect in visual working memory. All experiments used an associative learning task followed by a delayed estimation task. The “Self” condition showed a stable reaction-time advantage across all experiments, while the “Meaningless” condition also yielded rapid responses, likely reflecting lower semantic interference. In terms of memory precision, self-related information significantly outperformed the “Stranger” condition at the 1000 ms interval (Experiments 1–2). Under high load, precision for “Self” exceeded that for “Friend.” Under low load with a 2000 ms interval (Experiment 3), the main effect of social labels persisted, with both “Self” and “Friend” showing higher precision than “Stranger.” However, under high load at 2000 ms (Experiment 4), “Self”and“Meaningless” labels showed higher precision—surpassing both “Friend” and “Stranger”—demonstrating the stability of self-related processing. Overall, self-related information exhibits a robust advantage in working memory, marked by efficient retrieval. In contrast, friend-related benefits are conditional, depending on available cognitive resources and retention intervals, and incur notable retrieval costs. This study shows that social-information processing in working memory is dissociated, resource-dependent, and evolves over time; critically, retrieval efficiency advantages are more fundamental and enduring than those in storage precision.