A Lifetime Of Memories

The reminiscence bump is the effect that people recall more events from their adolescence than from other lifetime periods. Although the temporal distribution of autobiographical memory has been examined extensively, the question whether differential encoding or re-sampling causes the reminiscence bump is still unanswered. Are events stored better in adolescence or are events from adolescence recalled more frequently? To examine the cause of the reminiscence bump, a series of memory tests will be presented to American, Danish (where Gallup survey data will allow for a comparison of methods), Dutch and Japanese participants via the Internet. This innovative research setting will allow us to test very large numbers of participants with diverse backgrounds in terms of age, culture, education and gender. The battery of tests will consist of working memory tests, long-term autobiographical memory tests, a public events test, and a most important personal events questionnaire. The results on these tests will also be combined on an individual level. The results will shed light on the question which effects cultural and biological processes, such as maturation and aging, have on autobiographical memory.