A tale of three functions: The self-reported uses of autobiographical memory
Abstract
Theories hold that autobiographical memory serves several broad functions (directive,
self, and social). In the current study, items were derived from the theoretical literature
to create the Thinking About Life Experiences (TALE) questionnaire to empirically
assess these three functions. Participants (N = 167) completed the TALE. To examine
convergent validity, they also rated their overall tendency to think about and to
talk about the past and completed the Reminiscence Functions Scale (Webster, 1997).
The results lend support to the existence of these theoretical functions, but also
offer room for refinements in future thinking about both the breadth and specificity
of the functions that autobiographical memory serves.
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Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10106Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1521/soco.23.1.91.59198Publication Info
Bluck, S; Alea, N; Habermas, T; & Rubin, DC (2005). A tale of three functions: The self-reported uses of autobiographical memory. Social Cognition, 23(1). pp. 91-117. 10.1521/soco.23.1.91.59198. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10106.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
David C. Rubin
Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
For .pdfs of all publications click here My main research interest has been in
long-term memory, especially for complex (or "real-world") stimuli. This work includes
the study of autobiographical memory and oral tra

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