Belief and recollection of autobiographical memories.
Abstract
In three experiments, undergraduates rated autobiographical memories on scales derived
from existing theories of memory. In multiple regression analyses, ratings of the
degree to which subjects recollected (i.e., relived) their memories were predicted
by visual imagery, auditory imagery, and emotions, whereas ratings of belief in the
accuracy of their memories were predicted by knowledge of the setting. Recollection
was predicted equally well in between- and within-subjects analyses, but belief consistently
had smaller correlations and multiple regression predictions between subjects; individual
differences in the cognitive scales that we measured could not account well for individual
differences in belief. In contrast, measures of mood (Beck Depression Index) and dissociation
(Dissociative Experience Scale) added predictive value for belief, but not for recollection.
We also found that highly relived memories almost always had strong visual images
and that remember/know judgments made on autobiographical memories were more closely
related to belief than to recollection.
Type
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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 traditions, as w

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