Remote memory: recalling autobiographical and public events from across the lifespan.

Abstract

In this study the recall of autobiographical and public events across the lifespan was examined in a sample of middle-aged and older-aged adults. The tasks were modified versions of one first introduced by Galton (1879), and they required subjects to recall events from specific time periods across their entire lifespan. The four tasks differed in the nature of the episodes requested (autobiographical or public) and whether recall was word-cued or non-word-cued. Verification of public events was assessed archivally, and autobiographical events were verified by a sample of relatives for a subgroup of the subjects and reported events. The results indicated that memory for public events decreases with increased age of the subject, but this effect is not generally found for the recall of autobiographical events. The older-aged subjects were able to recall an equal number of autobiographical episodes from all life segments, whereas recall of news events tended to decrease with remoteness of the episode. These data are contrary to those models that posit general memory loss as a function of age or of remoteness of the events.