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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development pp 187Cite as

Autobiographical Memory

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Synonyms

Episodic memory; Long-term memory; Personal recollection

Definition

It is memory for specific, genuine events that are personally experienced and when compiled, they form a long-lasting personal narrative. It is high in self-reference and is subject to personal interpretation [1].

Description

Autobiographical memories tend to be more long-lasting than episodic memories because of their self-referent nature. Information and events that are related to the self are better recalled because we process them more extensively. This results in a more elaborate and deeply encoded memory trace, which generates better recall [2].

There are three different levels of autobiographical knowledge: lifetime periods, general events, and event-specific knowledge [2]. Lifetime periods, such as going to college, are contained at the highest level. The middle level holds general events, which are composite episodes that are experienced over days, weeks, or months. For example, these general events...

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References

  1. Gathercole, S. E. (1998). The development of memory. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39(1), 3–27.

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  2. Thompson, C. P., Skowronski, J. J., Larsen, S. F., & Betz, A. (1996). Autobiographical memory: Remembering what and remembering when. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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  3. Conway, M. A., & Rubin, D. C. (1995). The structure of autobiographical memory. In A. F. Collins, S. E. Gathercole, M. A. Conway, & P. E. Morris (Eds.), Theories of memory (pp. 103–132). East Sussex, UK: Taylor & Francis Group.

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  4. Schacter, D. L. (1996). Searching for memory: The brain, the mind, and the past. New York: Basic Books.

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  5. Schacter, D. L. (2001). The seven sins of memory: How the mind forgets and remembers. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oklahoma State University, 116 North Murray Hall, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Lauren Gregory

Authors
  1. Lauren Gregory
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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Gregory, L. (2011). Autobiographical Memory. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_252

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