The temporal distribution of autobiographical memory: changes in reliving and vividness over the life span do not explain the reminiscence bump.
Abstract
When autobiographical memories are elicited with word cues, personal events from middle
childhood to early adulthood are overrepresented compared to events from other periods.
It is, however, unclear whether these memories are also associated with greater recollection.
In this online study, we examined whether autobiographical memories from adolescence
and early adulthood are recollected more than memories from other lifetime periods.
Participants rated personal events that were elicited with cue words on reliving or
vividness. Consistent with previous studies, most memories came from the period in
which the participants were between 6 and 20 years old. The memories from this period
were not relived more or recalled more vividly than memories from other lifetime periods,
suggesting that they do not involve more recollection. Recent events had higher levels
of reliving and vividness than remote events, and older adults reported a stronger
recollective experience than younger adults.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Aging
Arousal
Attention
Child
Cues
Emotions
Female
Humans
Judgment
Life Change Events
Male
Mental Recall
Middle Aged
Semantics
Young Adult
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9781Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3758/s13421-010-0003-xPublication Info
Janssen, Steve MJ; Rubin, David C; & St Jacques, Peggy L (2011). The temporal distribution of autobiographical memory: changes in reliving and vividness
over the life span do not explain the reminiscence bump. Mem Cognit, 39(1). pp. 1-11. 10.3758/s13421-010-0003-x. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9781.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 traditions, as w

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