Time in autobiographical memory

Abstract

Research on memory for the times of past events has revealed ten main phenomena that constrain theoretical accounts of time in autobiographical memory. These findings do not support a uniform time-tagging mechanism or a temporally organized memory store. Instead, a combination of processes, most notably the reconstruction of past times, underlies our chronological sense of the past. We are especially adept at remembering “locations” in the many temporal patterns that structure our lives, but some information about the order of related events, distances in the past, and specific dates is also available. These processes contribute to our sense of a personal past, a shared past in close relationships, and a coherent sense of the lives of other people.

Publisher

Guilford Press

Publication Date

1-1-2004

Publication Title

Social Cognition

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1521/soco.22.5.591.50766

Language

English

Format

text

Link to Full Text

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