Examining the life story account of the reminiscence bump: Why we remember more from young adulthood

Abstract

The reminiscence bump is a robust finding demonstrated mostly with the cue-word method in Western cultures. The first aim of the study was to replicate the reminiscence bump using a life history timeline method and to extend reminiscence bump research to a Turkish sample. The second aim was to empirically examine the recently proposed life story account (Gluck & Bluck, 2007) for the reminiscence bump. The sample consisted of 40 women and 32 men aged 52 to 66 years. Participants' lives were divided into 5-year intervals and they verbally reported as many memories as possible in a standard timeframe from each interval (in random order) and provided ratings of several memory characteristics. As expected, the lifespan distribution of the resulting 6373 memories demonstrated a reminiscence bump. In support of the life story account, bump memories were found to be more novel, more important for identity development, more distinct, and more likely to involve developmental transitions than memories from other age periods. Findings are discussed in terms of the life story account, which synthesises lifespan developmental theory and life story theory.

The reminiscence bump in autobiographical memory and for public events: A comparison across different cueing methods

“…Most notably, in looking at memories of important events, Glück and Bluck (2007) found that, similar to Rubin and Berntsen (2003), only positive events evinced a bump. However, in particular support of the life story account, the bump was only found in positive events over which the individual had a high level of perceived control (for related findings, see Demiray et al, 2009). One limitation of this finding, though, is that, as Glück and Bluck's framework suggests, emotional valence and perceived control are not strictly independent dimensions, as events over which the individual had a high level of perceived control were disproportionately positive.…”

“…For instance, in the important memories method, researchers have asked participants to report x number of important memories (or the x most important memories) in their lives (Glück & Bluck, 2007;Haque & Hasking, 2010;Rubin & Schulkind, 1997). Similarly, researchers have asked participants to report the memories they consider to be most central to their life story (Bohn, 2010;Thomsen & Berntsen, 2008), or to simply freely recall autobiographical memories, which appears to yield a focus on important memories (Conway & Holmes, 2004;Demiray, Gülgöz, & Bluck, 2009;Howes & Katz, 1992;Rabbitt & Winthorpe, 1988).…”

“…Second, in the life story account of the bump, Glück and Bluck (2007; see also Bluck & Habermas, 2000, for the initial theoretical formulation of the life story concept, and Demiray et al, 2009, for an elaboration of the life story account) extended the life script account by integrating it with lifespan developmental theory. Glück and Bluck argued that whereas the life script account suggests that a life script event will be highly memorable simply by virtue of its connection to the life script events also need to play an important role in one's individual life story to be preferentially recalled.…”

“…That is, in several prior cue word studies (Conway & Haque, 1999;Rubin & Schulkind, 1997), as well as studies focusing on important or freely recalled memories (Conway & Holmes, 2004;Demiray et al, 2009;Rubin & Schulkind, 1997;Thomsen & Berntsen, 2008), researchers have tested the identity formation, cognitive and/or life story accounts by having participants rate the characteristics of each memory on dimensions relevant to one or more accounts (e.g., each memory's importance, importance to identity, novelty, emotional intensity and/or levels of rehearsal attached to the memory). Whereas these accounts predict that memories from within the bump period would be rated more highly on some of these characteristics (although the precise characteristics about which they make this prediction varies across the three accounts; see Demiray et al, 2009), these studies have generally failed to attain effects along these lines (but see Demiray et al, 2009).…”

The distribution and the functions of autobiographical memories: Why do older adults remember autobiographical memories from their youth?

“…Janssen and Murre 2008;Rubin et al 1998). In fact, the more recently proposed life story account (Glück and Bluck 2007) integrates central components of these accounts by hypothesising that the reminiscence bump period includes more novel, more distinctive, more self-relevant, and more transitional events than other life periods (Demiray et al 2009). In the present study, we do not aim to test these different accounts against each other but to examine whether the distribution of AMs varies according to the functions that these long-term memories still serve in daily life.…”