The frequency of involuntary autobiographical memories and future thoughts in relation to daydreaming, emotional distress, and age

Abstract

We introduce a new scale, the Involuntary Autobiographical Memory Inventory (IAMI), for measuring the frequency of involuntary autobiographical memories and involuntary future thoughts. Using the scale in relation to other psychometric and demographic measures provided three important, novel findings. First, the frequency of involuntary and voluntary memories and future thoughts are similarly related to general measures of emotional distress. This challenges the idea that the involuntary mode is uniquely associated with emotional distress. Second, the frequency of involuntary autobiographical remembering does not decline with age, whereas measures of daydreaming, suppression of unwanted thoughts and dissociative experiences all do. Thus, involuntary autobiographical remembering relates differently to aging than daydreaming and other forms of spontaneous and uncontrollable thoughts. Third, unlike involuntary autobiographical remembering, the frequency of future thoughts does decrease with age. This finding underscores the need for examining past and future mental time travel in relation to aging and life span development.

Inducing involuntary and voluntary mental time travel using a laboratory paradigm

“…In our view, these distinguishing features preclude direct comparison between these two phenomena. See Berntsen, Rubin and Salgado (2015) for a more elaborated discussion.…”

From mind wandering to involuntary retrieval: Age-related differences in spontaneous cognitive processes

“…Four studies have examined age-related differences in frequency of involuntary memories using retrospective estimates (Berntsen and Rubin, 2002; Moulin et al, 2014; Rubin and Berntsen, 2009; Berntsen et al, 2015). Moulin, Souchay et al (2014) asked young and older adults how often they exhibited involuntary memories in their daily lives (daily/once a week/once a month/once every six months/never).…”

“…Recently, Berntsen et al (2015) used a new scale, the involuntary autobiographical memory inventory (IAMI), to assess age-related differences in daily life involuntary and voluntary past and future thoughts in individuals aged 18–82. Other questionnaires in this study measured daydreaming (the daydreaming frequency scale; Giambra, 1993), intrusive thoughts (white bear suppression inventory (WBSI; Wegner & Zanakos, 1994; discussed in more detail in a later section) and dissociative experiences (Carlson & Putnam, 1993).…”

Emotional Intensity and Emotion Regulation in Response to Autobiographical Memories During Dysphoria

“…Prior to the commencement of the memory diary, participants had completed a battery of questionnaires for a larger online survey study (n = 220; Del Palacio-Gonzalez & including the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5; Blevins, Weathers, Witte, & Domino, 2015), the Involuntary Autobiographical Memory Inventory (IAMI; Berntsen, Rubin, & Salgado, 2015), the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006), the RRS (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991), the ERQ (Gross & John, 2003), the WBSI (Wegner & Zanakos, 1994), and a recent life event checklist. The materials were given in Danish.…”