[en] The age distribution of nonbelieved memories (NBMs) reported by young and older adults typically reflects a large proportion of events dated to childhood. The present study aimed to further investigate the age of origin of NBMs by using instructions that include an NBM related to adulthood. Participants aged from 40 to 80 years were asked to describe an NBM, to explain why they had stopped believing their memory, and to rate its phenomenal characteristics. Participants also described and rated an age-matched believed memory (BM). The results revealed a similar proportion of nonbelieved events experienced in childhood and adulthood, thus calling into question the hypothesis that NBMs are mainly related to childhood events. We also found that NBMs might emerge for different reasons depending on the time of events. Additional analyses indicated that, overall, the influence of temporal distance on the ratings of phenomenal characteristics was similar for BMs and NBMs.
Research center :
Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit (PsyNCog)
Disciplines :
Theoretical & cognitive psychology
Author, co-author :
Vanootighem, Valentine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Psychologie cognitive
Moyse, Evelyne ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Dpt. de gestion vétérinaire des Ressources Animales (DRA) > Biostatistiques et bioinformatique appliquées aux sc. vétér.
Brédart, Serge ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Psychologie cognitive
Language :
English
Title :
Belief in memories may be relinquished as often for adulthood as for childhood events, but for different reasons
Akhtar, S., Justice, L. V., Morrison, C. M., & Conway, M. A., (2018). Fictional first memories. Psychological Science, 29, 1612–1619. doi: 10.1177/0956797618778831
Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. C., (2006). Emotion and vantage point in autobiographical. Cognition and Emotion, 20, 1193–1215. doi: 10.1080/02699930500371190
Brédart, S., & Bouffier, M., (2016). Nonbelieved memories in middle-aged and older people. Consciousness and Cognition, 42, 352–357. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.04.009
Clark, A., Nash, R. A., Fincham, G., & Mazzoni, G., (2012). Creating non-believed memories for recent autobiographical events. PLoS ONE, 7, e32998. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032998
D’Argembeau, A., & Van der Linden, M., (2004). Phenomenal characteristics associated with projecting oneself back into the past and forward into the future: Influence of valence and temporal distance. Consciousness and Cognition, 13, 844–858. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2004.07.007
D’Argembeau, A., & Van der Linden, M., (2006). Individual differences in the phenomenology of mental time travel: The effect of vivid visual imagery and emotion regulation strategies. Consciousness and Cognition, 15, 342–350. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2005.09.001
Johnson, M. K., Foley, M. A., Suengas, A. G., & Raye, C. L., (1988). Phenomenal characteristics of memories for perceived and imagined autobiographical events. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 117, 371–376. doi: 10.1037/0096-3445.117.4.371
Kihlstrom, J. F., & Harackiewicz, J. M., (1982). The earliest recollection: A new survey. Journal of Personality, 50, 134–148. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1982.tb01019.x
Mazzoni, G. A. L., & Kirsch, I., (2002). Autobiographical memories and beliefs: A preliminary metacognitive model. In T. J., Perfect, & B. L., Schwartz (Eds.), Applied metacognition (pp. 121–145). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Nigro, G., & Neisser, U., (1983). Point of view in personal memories. Cognitive Psychology, 15, 467–482. doi: 10.1016/0010-0285(83)90016-6
Ost, J., (2017). Adults’ retractions of childhood sexual abuse allegations: High-stakes and the (in)validation of recollection. Memory (Hove, England), 25, 900–909. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2016.1187757
Otgaar, H., Scoboria, A., & Mazzoni, G., (2014). On the existence and implications of nonbelieved memories. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 349–354. doi: 10.1177/0963721414542102
Otgaar, H., Scoboria, A., & Smeets, T., (2013). Experimentally evoking nonbelieved memories for childhood events. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 39, 717–730.
Rubin, D. C., Schrauf, R. W., & Greenberg, D. L., (2003). Belief and recollection of autobiographical memories. Memory & Cognition, 31, 887–901. doi: 10.3758/BF03196443
Scoboria, A., Boucher, C., & Mazzoni, G., (2015). Reasons for relinquishing belief in vivid autobiographical memories. Memory (Hove, England), 23, 545–562. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2014.910530
Scoboria, A., Jackson, D. L., Talarico, J., Hanczakowski, M., Wysman, L., & Mazzoni, G., (2014). The role of belief in occurrence within autobiographical memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 1242–1258. doi: 10.1037/a0034110
Scoboria, A., Mazzoni, G., Kirsch, I., & Relyea, M., (2004). Plausibility and belief in autobiographical memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, 791–807. doi: 10.1002/acp.1062
Scoboria, A., Memon, A., Gawrylowicz, J., & Clark, A., (2015). Nonbelieved memories across the adult lifespan. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2, 461–474.
Scoboria, A., Nash, R. A., & Mazzoni, G., (2017). Sub-types of nonbelieved memories reveal differential outcomes of challenges to memories. Memory (Hove, England), 25, 876–889. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2016.1203437
Scoboria, A., & Talarico, J., (2013). Characteristics of nonbelieved memories in spontaneously-generated autobiographical events. Consciousness and Cognition, 22, 1495–1509. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2013.09.007
Talarico, J. M., LaBar, K. S., & Rubin, D. C., (2004). Emotional intensity predicts autobiographical memory experience. Memory & Cognition, 32, 1118–1132. doi: 10.3758/BF03196886