Exam2: Autobiographical Memory

what was neisser’s (1977) main critique of memory research

§  Research in cognition had failed – understanding human thought necessitates understanding the info available to be thought about

childhood amnesia

characterized by very few memories existing from early in life (0-5 years old) and almost no evidence for memories before the age of 4

what causes childhood amnesia

brain development, language development, the development of self, consciousness about the past, and bind together elements of an event

brain development - childhood amnesia

hippocampus is not fully developed

why can a toddler recall events from when the were litter toddlers

retrieval cues are better when you are still close to the age when the event you are trying to recall took place

language development - childhood amnesia

language gives us a way to interpret, organize, and rehearse info; why memories from ages 4-5 are better remembered

development of self - childhood amnesia

children do not realize they are independent entities; sense of self impacts episodic memory development

development of consciousness about the past - childhood amnesia

until children have a sense of themselves across time, autoiographical memories do not develop

bind together elements of an event

inability to bind together the elemental components of an experienced event into a meaningful whole preventing the formation of coherent autobiographical memories

reminiscence bump

the disproportionate number of memories between 10-30 that is influenced by personal preference or events that people think are important (firsts, songs, books, historical events, and semantic facts)

what causes the reminiscence bump

cognitive mechanisms account, cognitive abilities, identity formation accound, and life script account

cognitive mecahnisms account - reminiscence bump

not subject to interference (distinctiveness), “firsts”, more rehearsal

cognitive abilities - reminiscence bump

peak functioning during “bump” years, strongest encoding, and most durable storage

identity formation account - reminiscence bump

personal identity and shaping of who we are

life script account - reminiscence bump

culturally important transitional events (having kids, getting a job), and structure our memory

reminiscence bump - what happens after 30s?

start remembering events that occurred more recently better, not going to be remembering your firsts since it is not relevant

forgetting in adulthood

decay theory/recency effect that makes it easier to recall more recent items/events

what causes forgetting in adulthood

lack of rehearsal and high chance of interference

what is a flashbulb memory

Memories for the circumstances surrounding hearing a startling bit of news (9/11); highlighted by strong emotional reactions and high confidence of memories

hyperthymesia

highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM); abnormally large amount of time thinking about personal past or an extraordinary capacity to recall specific events from personal past

autobiographical memory’s two major components

1. autobiographical episodes

2. autobiographical knowledge

autobiographical episodes

experience about the self including sensory, perceptual, and emotional features being represented in visual images; slices of time; rapidly forgottten

autobiographical knowledge

Network of concepts that individuals know about their own lives; helps us reconstruct our personal memories