The autobiographical memory test: Differences in memory specificity across three recall elicitation methods
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The autobiographical memory test: Differences in memory specificity across three recall elicitation methods Sarah L. Bunnell 1 & John-Paul Legerski 2 & Nicola Rodwell Herting 3
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract The most commonly used measure of autobiographical memory specificity is the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). There is substantial variability in the manner in which this test is administered. One such variation involves the format of memory recall (e.g., interview, handwritten, or computer-typed responses); uneven social and cognitive demands involved in each format likely influence memory performance, but links between elicitation context and memory quality have not been experimentally examined. This investigation explored the effect of retrieval context on memory specificity by randomly assigning 177 emerging adults to complete interview, handwritten, or computerized forms of the AMT. Results indicated a significant effect of retrieval context; those in the interview condition provided fewer autobiographical memories, fewer specific memories, and more overgeneral extended and categoric memories than did those in the computer and handwritten conditions. These effects were not explained by psychopathological symptoms or executive function abilities. Implications for models of autobiographical specificity are discussed. Keywords Autobiographical memory . Specificity . Overgeneral . Recall method . Memory elicitation
Autobiographical memory is a constructive and reconstructive process (e.g., Bartlett 1932), and there is convincing evidence that the way we structure these memories has consequences for our psychological wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and social relationships (Conway et al. 2004). One aspect of autobiographical memory that has received substantial attention over the last 30 years, due in large part to its associations with psychopathology development and maintenance, is autobiographical memory specificity. Specific autobiographical memories are those that refer to one-time, personally experienced past events that typically occurred within one specific day, whereas overgeneral autobiographical memories are those that refer to categories of personally experienced events or circumstances, as well as memories for events that occurred over a sustained period of time. Following the seminal work of Williams and * Sarah L. Bunnell [email protected] Nicola Rodwell Herting [email protected] 1
Amherst College, Amherst, MA, USA
2
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
3
Red River Children’s Advocacy Center, Fargo, ND, USA
Broadbent (1986), which found that individuals who had recently attempted suicide were more likely to generate overgeneral memories than individuals without suicide attempt histories, additional work found that adults with a history of childhood trauma were also likely to display overgeneral recall (e.g., Henderson et al. 2002; Williams and Dritschel 1988). A resulting body of research now supports the link between
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