Wolf Tabea, Zimprich Daniel
Department of Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
Eur J Ageing. 2016 Apr 12;13(3):241-250. doi: 10.1007/s10433-016-0372-5. eCollection 2016 Sep.
In the present study, the distribution of autobiographical memories was examined from a functional perspective: we examined whether the extent to which long-term autobiographical memories were rated as having a self-, a directive, or a social function affects the location (mean age) and scale (standard deviation) of the memory distribution. Analyses were based on a total of 5598 autobiographical memories generated by 149 adults aged between 50 and 81 years in response to 51 cue-words. Participants provided their age at the time when the recalled events had happened and rated how frequently they recall these events for self-, directive, and social purposes. While more frequently using autobiographical memories for self-functions was associated with an earlier mean age, memories frequently shared with others showed a narrower distribution around a later mean age. The directive function, by contrast, did not affect the memory distribution. The results strengthen the assumption that experiences from an individual's late adolescence serve to maintain a sense of self-continuity throughout the lifespan. Experiences that are frequently shared with others, in contrast, stem from a narrow age range located in young adulthood.
在本研究中，我们从功能视角考察了自传体记忆的分布情况：我们研究了长期自传体记忆在被评定为具有自我功能、引导功能或社会功能的程度上，是否会影响记忆分布的位置（平均年龄）和范围（标准差）。分析基于149名年龄在50至81岁之间的成年人针对51个提示词所产生的总共5598条自传体记忆。参与者提供了回忆事件发生时他们的年龄，并对他们为了自我、引导和社会目的而回忆这些事件的频率进行了评分。虽然更频繁地将自传体记忆用于自我功能与较早的平均年龄相关，但经常与他人分享的记忆在较晚的平均年龄周围显示出更窄的分布范围。相比之下，引导功能并未影响记忆分布。这些结果强化了这样一种假设，即个体青春期后期的经历有助于在整个生命周期中维持自我连续性的感觉。相比之下，经常与他人分享的经历则来自于青年期的一个狭窄年龄范围。
