Understanding the reminiscence bump: A systematic review

Abstract

One of the most consistently observed phenomena in autobiographical memory research is the reminiscence bump: a tendency for middle-aged and elderly people to access more personal memories from approximately 10–30 years of age. This systematic review (PROSPERO 2017:CRD42017076695) aimed to synthesize peer-reviewed literature pertaining to the reminiscence bump. The researchers conducted searches in nine databases for studies published between the date of inception of each database and the year 2017. Keywords used included: reminiscence, bump, peak, surge, blip, reminiscence effect, and reminiscence component. Sixty-eight quantitative studies, out of 523, met the inclusion criteria. The researchers implemented a thematic analytic technique for data extraction. Four main themes were generated: methods of memory activation/instruction for life scripts, types of memory/life scripts recalled, location of the reminiscence bump, and theoretical accounts for the bump. The two prevailing methods of memory activation implemented were the cuing method and important memories method. Three types of memories/life scripts were recalled: personal/autobiographical memory, memories for public events, and life script events. The findings illustrate differing temporal periods for the bump: approximately 10–30 years for memories for important events, approximately 5–30 years for memories that were induced by word cues, and 6–39 years for studies using life scripts. In explaining the bump, the narrative/identity account and cultural life script account received the most support.

The self-defining period in autobiographical memory: Evidence from a long-running radio show

“…The SP, as noted earlier, is a robust phenomenon in autobiographical memory, and here, for the first time, it has been observed to spontaneously emerge with free choice of music that crosses genres and in a naturalistic rather than laboratory setting. The SP effect is found for films that “define” one’s generation, for books, music, sporting events, even for favourite soccer players (see Munawar et al, 2018 , for a recent review). Because of this widespread effect, simple explanations, ones that usually depend on the assumed selective exposure to the material used in a study, for example, people just watch more soccer when they are younger, listen to more music when younger, read more books, see more films, and so forth, do not provide credible theoretical explanations.…”

“…Selection was pseudo-random but specific efforts were made to include equal numbers of men and women and to represent a wide range of ages, professions, and decade of interview (see Supplemental Appendix 1 ). Guests below the age of 35 years were excluded, in order to avoid confounds between reminiscence bump and recency effects, and in line with other reminiscence bump studies ( Munawar et al, 2018 ). The eldest participant was aged 95 years, with the majority of guests aged 50 years and above (63.7% of sample).…”

“…This ability to reflect on past events nourishes and maintains our connections with other people, enables us to make plans and imagine the future, and supports our sense of self ( Conway, 2009 ). There is now a wide body of research showing that access to these autobiographical memories varies according to which part of the lifespan is being retrieved ( Munawar et al, 2018 ). As a rule, episodic memories become less vivid, less accessible, and more fragmented over time, with the oldest memories (below the age of 2 years) being lost completely, and the most recent memories (the last few days) being particularly clear and easily recalled.…”

A systematic review of mental health literacy in Pakistan

“…An overall rating (from 0 to 1) was assigned to every study with higher numerical ratings indicating higher quality. This checklist had already been used in previous reviews to assess the quality of included studies (Choudhry et al, 2019; Munawar, Kuhn, & Haque, 2018; Wassenaar, Schouten, & Schoonhoven, 2014). The lowest quality rating of both the quantitative and qualitative studies included in this review was determined to be 0.55.…”

Assessing Wellbeing in People Living with Dementia Using Reminiscence Music with a Mobile App (Memory Tracks): A Mixed Methods Cohort Study

“…Through the repetition of hearing, playing, or singing music during childhood and youth, music becomes intertwined with the sense of identity and autobiography. The “memory bump” [32] and a more recent systematic review by Munawar et al [33] reveal that childhood memories particularly persist into old age, and musical memories are no different.…”