Death Keeps No Calendar: The Temporal Distribution of Autobiographical Memories Kept in Death

Publication date: Available online 22 July 2019Source: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and CognitionAuthor(s): Travis G. Cyr, William HirstPast research on applying basic principles of memory to the fundamental task of remembering one's personal past shows a clear preference for memories from late adolescence to early adulthood. The temporal boundaries of this reminiscence bump depend on how the memories are elicited. Different cues may evoke different retrieval strategies. When prompted with importance cues, people may use their life-scripts to guide retrieval. Across two studies, the present work examined a heretofore unexplored retrieval cue, one which asked people for a single memory to bring into the afterlife. This death cue elicited a distinctly older bump and fewer life-script events than did importance cues. Not only do the findings underscore that different cueing methods will influence the availability of self-relevant memories, but they also suggest that, with some cues, people may access memories that capture the spirit or emotional character of a valued part or period of one's life.

Source: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition - July 24, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research