Synonyms
Memory; Personal memory; Recollective memory
Definition
Autobiographical memory (AM) is the memory of events or information involving the self. Researchers generally conceptualize AM as episodic, as opposed to semantic. AMs are temporally defined (e.g., by the date of the remembered event) and involve a sense of “recollection or reliving” of the original event (Greenberg and Rubin 2003).
Historical Background
Levin et al. (1982) are sometimes credited with originating the term AM. However, AM research dates back to Francis Galton’s 1879 study of his own recall of events in his personal past. Galton sampled his own episodic memories by finding associations between words and events from his past and dating those events. In 1974, Crovitz and Schiffman modified Galton’s technique to create what became a widely used method for studying AM (see Rubin 1999). Their revised technique involved asking participants to think of memories associated with words presented to them. In 1983,...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
Bluck, S. (Ed.). (2003). Autobiographical memory: Exploring its functions in everyday life. [Special issue]. Memory, 11(2), 113–229.
Dalgleish, T., & Brewin, C. R. (Eds.). (2007). Autobiographical memory and emotional disorder. [Special issue]. Memory, 15(3).
Daselaar, S. M., Rice, H. J., Greenberg, D. L., Cabeza, R., LaBar, K. S., & Rubin, D. C. (2008). The spatiotemporal dynamics of autobiographical memory: Neural correlates of recall, emotional intensity, and reliving. Cerebral Cortex, 18, 217–229.
Greenberg, D. L., & Rubin, D. C. (2003). The neuropsychology of autobiographical memory. [Special issue]. Cortex, 39, 687–728.
Hermans, D., Raes, F., Philippot, P., & Kremers, I. (Eds.). (2006). Autobiographical memory specificity and psychopathology. New York: Psychology Press.
Irish, M., Landin-Romero, R., Mothakunnel, A., Ramanan, S., Hsieh, S., Hodges, J., & Piquet, O. (2017). Evolution of autobiographical memory impairments in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia-A longitudinal neuroimaging study. Neuropsychologia.
Levin, H. S., Benton, A. L., & Grossman, R. G. (1982). Neurobehavioral consequences of closed head injury. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rubin, D. C. (Ed.). (1999). Remembering our past: Studies in autobiographical memory. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sutin, A. R., & Robins, R. W. (2007). Phenomenology of autobiographical memories: The memory experiences questionnaire. Memory, 15(4), 390–411.
Wenzel, A., & Rubin, D. C. (Eds.). (2005). Cognitive methods and their application to clinical research. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Tyson, K. (2018). Autobiographical Memory. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1108
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1108
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences