Abstract:
Previous research has shown that cultural effects modulate both cognitive processes, such as memory, and neural activation. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC and vmPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) are involved in self-referential processing and memory, and that the specific activations differ as a result of cultural effects. In the current fMRI study we used an adjective trait judgment task and surprise recognition memory task to investigate how having a bicultural identity influences self-referential processing and memory as compared to both a close other (mother) and distant, familiar other (Gandhi). Contrary to our expectations, results indicate that the dmPFC is more engaged for mother-referential processing than self-referential processing in our sample of bicultural Asian Americans. In terms of subsequent memory, there was increased activation in the PCC for mother-relevant and other relevant (compared to self-relevant) information that supported subsequent memory. Finally, we observed reversals in the pattern of activity in the dmPFC for subsequent memory in those high in bicultural identity integration and those low in bicultural identity integration. These findings suggest that cultural effects, specifically bicultural identity integration, modulate neural activity during judgment and encoding of information relevant to the self and others.
