Transcript Revision: Autobiographical memory

Autobiographical memory
Matt Jarvis
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
Background: Long-term
memory
There is evidence for several different systems in long-term
memory:
● Implicit memory: memory we are not conscious of, for example
motor skills
● Explicit memory: memory we are aware of, for example facts
and events
Explicit memory can be further divided:
● Episodic memory: memory for events
● Semantic memory: memory for facts
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
What is autobiographical
memory?
A type of explicit memory
Memory of our own lives
Includes elements of
episodic memory,
i.e. memory of events
Moments of
experience
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
Includes elements of
semantic memory,
i.e. knowledge of facts
Facts about self
and the events
The reminiscence bump
Memories are not evenly distributed across the lifespan.
● Childhood amnesia: we recall little from the first 5 years
● Reminiscence bump: we recall a lot of detail from 15 to 25 years
● Recency: we also recall a lot from recent events
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
Explanations for the
reminiscence bump
The novel experience hypothesis suggests that we recall most detail from
the period in which we have most new experiences
but
only a small proportion of memories from the reminiscence bump are of
new experiences.
The self-identity hypothesis suggests that our sense of self requires that we
recall most detail from the period when we form a stable identity.
Evidence
The reminiscence bump of migrants peaks at the age when they migrated
(Schrauf and Rubin, 1998)
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
The self-memory system
Conway (2005) proposed the self-memory system to explain
autobiographical memory.
Autobiographical memory comprises themes that span a range of ages:
• school theme
• family theme
• relationship theme
• work theme
At each age within each theme are specific episodic memories.
These form a coherent life story that makes up our sense of self.
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
Applications of Conway’s
model
It appears that the working self acts to maintain its
coherence so it makes memories more or less
accessible in order to keep a stable sense of self.
PTSD often involves intrusive
memories. These can be
explained by the working self
editing memory in order to
protect the sense of self.
Amnesia may involve adopting
an identity consistent with a
period that the patient can
recall clearly
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