Understanding Autobiographical Memory
Theories and Approaches

Reviews and integrates the many theories, perspectives and approaches in the field of autobiographical memory.

Dorthe Berntsen (Edited by), David C. Rubin (Edited by)

9781107007307, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 September 2012

381 pages, 21 b/w illus. 5 tables
23.4 x 15.5 x 2.1 cm, 0.72 kg

'Autobiographical memory is one of the most important topics in contemporary memory research. Berntsen and Rubin have assembled a group of leading investigators to write state-of-the-art chapters that provide valuable insights into where the field stands and where it is headed. This is an indispensable collection that should be read by anyone interested in the nature of human memory.' Daniel L. Schacter, William R. Kenan, Jr, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Seven Sins of Memory

The field of autobiographical memory has made dramatic advances since the first collection of papers in the area was published in 1986. Now, over 25 years on, this book reviews and integrates the many theories, perspectives, and approaches that have evolved over the last decades. A truly eminent collection of editors and contributors appraise the basic neural systems of autobiographical memory; its underlying cognitive structures and retrieval processes; how it develops in infancy and childhood, and then breaks down in aging; its social and cultural aspects; and its relation to personality and the self. Autobiographical memory has demonstrated a strong ability to establish clear empirical generalizations, and has shown its practical relevance by deepening our understanding of several clinical disorders - as well as the induction of false memories in the legal system. It has also become an important topic for brain studies, and helped to enlarge our general understanding of the brain.

1. Introduction Dorthe Berntsen and David C. Rubin
Part I. Approaches to the Study of Autobiographical Memory: 2. The basic systems model of autobiographical memory David C. Rubin
3. Identity, emotion, and the social matrix of autobiographical memory: a psychoanalytic narrative view Tilmann Habermas
4. On the nature of autobiographical memory Martin A. Conway and Laura Jobson
5. Reflections on autobiographical memory Alan Baddeley
Part II. Neural Studies of Autobiographical Memory: 6. The contribution of research on autobiographical memory to past and present theories of memory consolidation Morris Moscovitch
7. Functional neuroimaging of autobiographical memory Peggy L. St Jacques
Part III. Social and Cultural Aspects of Autobiographical Memory: 8. Of sins and virtues: memory and collective identity William Hirst, Alexandra Cuc and Dana Wohl
9. Historically defined autobiographical periods: their origins and implications Norman R. Brown, Tia G. B. Hansen, Peter J. Lee, Sarah A. Vanderveen and Fredrick G. Conrad
10. Directive functions of autobiographical memory: theory and method David B. Pillemer and Kie J. Kuwabara
Part IV. Development of Autobiographical Memory from Infancy to Old Age: 11. The life I once remembered: the waxing and waning of early memories Patricia J. Bauer
12. Subjective perspective and personal timeline in the development of autobiographical memory Robyn Fivush
13. Theory and research in autobiographical memory: a life-span developmental perspective Joseph M. Fitzgerald and Carissa L. Broadbridge
Part V. Evolution and Basic Processes of Autobiographical Memory: 14. Evolutionary origins of autobiographical memory: a retrieval hypothesis Merlin Donald
15. Spontaneous recollections: involuntary autobiographical memories are a basic mode of remembering Dorthe Berntsen
16. Autobiographical memory and future thinking Arnaud D'Argembeau
Part VI. Discussion: 17. Understanding autobiographical memory: an ecological theory Dorthe Berntsen and David C. Rubin.

Subject Areas: Memory [JMRM], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR]