Researchers in the area of human learning and memory have stressed the need for systematic studies of the factors involved in information processing and their effects on the retention and recall of the information processed. One such important factor may be self-reference. A lecturer may stimulate self-reference in students through self-disclosure. The effects of teacher self-disclosure on male (N=32) and female (N=32) college students' recall of lecture material and their perceptions of the teacher were examined. Subjects listened to one of two recordings of a lecture on learned helplessness by a male professor. Half of the subjects heard a tape containing teacher self-disclosure statements. The other half heard a tape containing impersonal hypothetical examples. Subjects then completed a free recall measure of the lecture and rated the teacher's expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Self-disclosure lowered the females' free recall and raised the free recall of the males, but did not affect teacher ratings. Teacher self-disclosure self-reference, and self-reference improved memory. Findings suggest that male students may have been better able than females to identify with the self-disclosures of the male teacher. (Author/NRB)