Autobiographical Memory Flashcards
Cohen 1996
Autobiographical memory provides a store of “recipes” for handling current problems and situations
Conway and Beckerian 1987
Structure of AM: lifetime periods, general events, event-specific knowledge
Conway 1990
- Predict grades before exams
- Recall predictions after
- Those who did less well - remembered predictions as being lower
Conway and Cohen 2008
Introduced adaptive function of AM
Rubin 1995
Events high in emotional content are likely to be recalled using observer perspective. Neutral events - field perspective
Dewhurst and Marlborough 2003
Memory for exam stress.
•Higher grades than expected - overestimated stress.
•Lower - underestimated
Anderson and Dewhurst 2009
Adapted SCEPT to measure the generation of future events. SCEFT. Future less specific than past
Linton 1978
Diary studies. 2 memories /day. Recall 2/month. Repeated events faded. Unique - recalled better.
30% - completely forgotten after 6years
Crovitz and Schiffman
Cue word technique. Asked to retrieve memories. Dated and plotted. •Retention function •Reminiscence bump •Childhood amnesia Originally introduced by Galton 1879
Functions of AM
1 Directive
2 Social
3 Self-representative
4 Adaptive
Seidlitz and Diener 1998
Women are able to recall more events than men
AM separate system? Conway et al 1999
PET SCAN - activity during memory task. Activation in left frontal lobe.
AM and depression
Often unable to retrieve specific events
Retention function. Rubin et al 1986
Memories fade with time. Recent memories recalled better than distant ones
Brown, Rips and Shevell 1985
•Rate 50 news events - famous and not. Famous dated as more recent. “Forward telescoping”
Skowronski and Thompson 1990
Women more accurate than men at dating AM
Kulik and Mahler 1986
- Extraverts overestimated how often they have talked during a “getting - aquainted” conversation
- Introverts - underestimated
Marcus 1986
1973 - asked to rate their attitudes towards social issues
1982 - asked to make same ratings and recall previous ones
•Recall was distorted to be closer to current ratings
Eich et al 1985
Memory for pain. Chronic pain sufferers currently experiencing high levels of pain overestimated previous levels
Parrott and Sabini 1990
College students who just received grades - asked to recall AM.
•Did well - more negative memories than those who did poorly.
•Mood-congruent effect - restore emotional equilubrium
Walker et al 2003
- Produce memories and rate them. How often do participants feel happy, sad and neutral.
- 50% - happy
- Sample positive memories to maintain well-being
Neissen 1980
Referring to the past is a way of extending social interactions
Tulving 1983
“Mental time travel”. Can be forwards or backwards
Autonoetic consciousness
Robinson and Swanson 1990
Adaptive function of AM. Recalling experiences - used to maintain desired and alter undesired moods
