Memories Of Personal Events Research Articles

Long‐Term Episodic Memory in Children with Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Twenty‐nine grade‐matched 4th–8th‐grade males, 12 with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (age M= 12.2 years, SD= 1.48), and 17 without (age M= 11.5, SD= 1.59), completed two working memory tasks (digit span and the Simon game) and three long‐term episodic memory tasks (a personal event memory task, story memory task, and picture recognition task). In line with clinical observations, children with ADHD performed worse than peers on all working memory tasks, but performed as well as or better than peers on long‐term episodic tasks, demonstrating particularly detailed memory for personally experienced past events. Participants' parents also completed questionnaires about their children's memories in daily life. Parents rated children with ADHD lower than children without ADHD on working and semantic memory (e.g., remembering names, spelling, and math), but rated them as high or higher on memory for events. Implications for theory and educational practice are discussed.

Memory fragments as components of autobiographical knowledge

AbstractAdults described and dated two kinds of personal remembrances: a fragment—a memory moment that is largely bereft of context—and an episodic, personal event memory—a narrative that consists of a number of related events. In Experiment 1 subjects reported memories from when they were 0–8 years of age and in Experiment 2, from when they were 0–16 years of age. Fragments were judged to be older than event memories, especially in Experiment 2 where the estimated ages of most fragments were from 0 to 8 years and of most episodic memories, from 8 to 16 years. Ratings of various features of the two kinds of memories also differed. We conclude that isolated memory moments possess validity and that although they are most likely to arise when the autobiographical memory system is not fully developed, they can also originate during a time when it is. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Remote Memory in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

The present study aims at characterizing remote memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); it also considers the impact of its most important variables (lateralization of the lesion, duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency) on remote memory. We examined the performance of 38 patients with unilateral TLE (19 right TLE and 19 left TLE) and 35 healthy subjects on six remote memory tasks. Memory for personal events was assessed by using the Autobiographical Memory Interview and the Modified Crovitz Test. Memory for public events was evaluated by means of photographs of famous faces and famous scenes, questions about famous events, and the Dead/Alive Test. Both right-TLE and left-TLE groups had impaired memory for autobiographic episodes and public events relative to normal subjects. In contrast, personal semantic memory was preserved. In addition, an effect of laterality was recorded, with right-TLE patients obtaining significantly better scores than left-TLE patients on every test. Duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency did not influence performance on remote memory measures. The comprehensive neuropsychological study of 38 TLE patients showed that this neurologic condition affects remote memory systems differently. We discuss the different factors that could account for this pattern of performance on the bases of both functional brain organization and memory theories.

Fragment memories mark the end of childhood amnesia

Adults described and dated two kinds of first remembrances: a personal event memory (the recollection of a personal episode that had occurred at some time in some place) and a memory fragment (an isolated memory moment having no event context and remembered, perhaps, as an image, a behavior, or an emotion). First fragment memories were judged to have originated substantially earlier in life than first event memories--approximately 3 1/3 years of age for first fragment memories versus roughly 4 years of age for first event memories. We conclude that the end of childhood amnesia is marked not by our earliest episodic memories, but by the earliest remembered fragments of childhood experiences.

Flashbulb memories of personal events of 9/11 and the day after for a sample of New York City residents.

The present study assessed consistency of recollections of personal circumstances of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and events of the day before (9/10), and the day after (9/12), in a sample of 100 New York City college students. The day before 9/11 represented an ordinary event. A questionnaire was administered twice, 1 wk. and 1 yr. after the 9/11 attack. Students were asked to describe their personal circumstances when hearing about the news of the World Trade Center attack and for the same time of day for 9/10 and 9/12. 18 students returned the follow-up questionnaire. Consistency of initial and follow-up responses for the central categories for both 9/11 and 9/12 of where, who, and activity was very high (9/11: "Where"--100%, "Who"--100%, "What"--94%; 9/12: "Where"--100%, "Who"--100%, "What"--80%). Recollections of 9/10 were significantly less consistent ("Where"--79%, "Who"--71%, "What"--71%). Analysis indicated that students formed vivid, consistent recollections during the events of both 9/11 and 9/12. It is likely that the events of 9/12 also became flashbulb memories, vivid recollections of traumatic events, because the emotional impact of the stressful events, i.e., police and military presence, disrupted schedules, relating to the 9/11 attack endured beyond the day of the attack.

Demystifying the beginnings of memory

A longstanding issue in psychology has been, When does human memory begin? More particularly, when do we begin to remember personal experiences in a way that makes them accessible to recollection later in life? Current popular and scientific thinking would have us believe that memories are possible not only at the time of our birth, but also in utero. Indeed, some writers in the popular press (as well as some recent television programs) suggest that we can remember past lives and that such memories are affecting our current behaviors. The purpose of this special issue is to examine, in a scientific context, what the most recent empirical data have to say about the nature of early memory and its development. In this article, we provide the background to the questions that prompted this special issue and suggest that memory for personal events, although it may start quite early in life, does so much later than claimed in popular writings about early memory.

Early Experiences of Visual Memory Prosthesis for Supporting Episodic Memory

This article describes the use, experiences, and inferred design issues of an audio-visual content recorder that supports retrospective episodic memory (i.e., memory of personal events). In addition, some further user interface issues are discussed. The concept was explored by collecting mostly images and some audio over a period of more than a year (every now and then) using a body-worn camera and DAT-recorder. Special browser was built to be used in wearable and desktop computers. We also consider the use of thumbnail reductions of images. We empirically determined that image and audio data could help episodic memory to recall other facts related to the recorded episode. This kind of technology could be utilized in both personal and professional applications.

Autobiographical memory in the visually impaired: initial findings and impressions

We examine memory for personal events in a group of visually impaired children/young adults using a semi-structured interview technique and a word cueing task. Memories were assessed for specificity, detail, and emotional and sensory content. We also investigated the age of earliest autobiographical memory. The data suggests that visual impairment may be associated with a less detailed memory for personal experiences and a later onset of personal memory. Possible mechanisms which contribute to the characteristics of autobiographical memory in visual impairment are discussed.

Momentous Events and the Life Story

Memories of specific life episodes, termed personal event memories, have only recently become a focus of systematic research. In this article, memories of momentous events are analyzed from a functional perspective. First, personal event memory is defined. Second, research on the temporal organization of specific memories across the life span is described. Third, psychological functions served by remembering momentous events are illustrated. Fourth, variations in the structure and content of autobiographical memory are identified. Finally, potential connections to clinical and educational practice are discussed.

IMPAIRED KNOWLEDGE OF FAMOUS PEOPLE AND EVENTS WITH INTACT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY IN A CASE OF PROGRESSIVE RIGHT TEMPORAL LOBE DEGENERATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION OF REMOTE MEMORY

VH, a 71-year-old woman with a progressive deterioration of the right temporal lobe, was shown to be gravely impaired on tests of publicly acquired semantic information, including both visual and verbal knowledge of famous people and events. In contrast, autobiographical knowledge of personally relevant people and personal event memory appeared to be completely normal. Interestingly, some information was elicited regarding public events that impinged upon the patient's own life. This represents the first quantitative study of remote memory in a patient with right temporal lobe degeneration, and a pattern of remote memory loss that has not been previously reported. We argue that VH's preserved autobiographical memory performance does not imply the presence of specialised subsystems dedicated to autobiographical versus nonautobiographical material. Instead, we propose a “supporting activation” account of retrieval from remote memory. Autobiographical memory consists of distributed representations involving multiple types of information. During a retrieval attempt, supporting activation from intact regions may assist VH's retrieval of autobiographically relevant material from her damaged right temporal lobe.

Subadditivity in Memory for Personal Events

People's subjective probability judgments of external events are often subadditive (i.e., the probability estimates of component parts of a single event sum to greater than one)—a clear violation of the extensional nature of probability theory. We show that people's frequency judgments of personal events can also be subadditive. We found subadditivity even when component events made up a proper subset of a wider composite event. Our findings imply that the somewhat arbitrary choice of the specificity with which questions are asked can produce widely different reports for the same composite events.

Autobiographical memory: unpleasantness fades faster than pleasantness over time

Kansas State University, USASUMMARYWe examined the effects of retention intervals on the recollection of the emotional content ofevents. Memory for personal events was tested for three retention intervals: 3 months, 1 year,and 4.5 years. Participants made pleasantness ratings both at the time of recording the eventand during testing of the events. Analyses of the data show that judgments of pleasantness orunpleasantness of an event became less extreme as retention interval increased. This effect waslarger for unpleasant events than for pleasant events. Subsequent memory ratings of pleasantand unpleasant events showed a modest effect of pleasantness with pleasant eventsremembered slightly better than unpleasant events. The theoretical implications of thesedata are discussed. & 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Appl. Cognit. Psychol. 11: 399–413 (1997)No. of Figures: 1 No. of Tables: 2 No. of

Autobiographical Memory for Emotional Events in Amnesia

This study investigated autobiographical memory for emotionally flavoured experiences in amnesia. Ten amnesic patients and 10 matched control subjects completed the Autobiographical Memory Interview and three semi-structured interviews which assessed memory for personal events associated with pain, happiness and fear. Despite retrograde amnesia for autobiographical facts and incidents, amnesics remembered a similar number of emotionally significant personal experiences as control subjects. Their recollections generally lacked elaboration and detail, but pain-related memories appeared to be more mildly impaired than memories associated with happiness and fear. The findings are discussed in relation to recent views on the relationship between affect and memory.

Autobiographical memory for emotional events in amnesia.

This study investigated autobiographical memory for emotionally flavoured experiences in amnesia. Ten amnesic patients and 10 matched control subjects completed the Autobiographical Memory Interview and three semi-structured interviews which assessed memory for personal events associated with pain, happiness and fear. Despite retrograde amnesia for autobiographical facts and incidents, amnesics remembered a similar number of emotionally significant personal experiences as control subjects. Their recollections generally lacked elaboration and detail, but pain-related memories appeared to be more mildly impaired than memories associated with happiness and fear. The findings are discussed in relation to recent views on the relationship between affect and memory.

Autobiographical memory in bilinguals

Traditional studies on bilingual memory have focused, for the most part, on understanding memories of a nonpersonal nature. The assumptions have been that memory paradigms derived from these investigations can accurately describe and characterize memory systems in bilinguals and that they can be generalized to understanding memory of more personal phenomena. Unlike those earlier investigations, the present study utilized an experimental procedure which ensures a more direct investigation of memory of personal events. Five-minute monologues about a dramatic personal experience were elicited from a group of coordinate bilinguals and then analyzed following Chafe's (1980) methodology. We found qualitative and quantitative differences in the linguistic organization of personal memories in the two languages in terms of the number of idea and thought units and the extent of elaboration and affective tone of the memories under discussion. The findings are important in understanding ways memories of personal events are linguistically organized in bilinguals.