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Cited by 19Memory Processes and InfluencesIdentity, Memory, and TherapyCognitive Functions and Memory

Induced forgetting and reduced confidence in our personal past? The consequences of selectively retrieving emotional autobiographical memories

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Stone, Charles B., Luminet, Olivier, Hirst, William·2013·Acta Psychologica
DOI 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.06.019
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Abstract

People build their sense of self, in part, through their memories of their personal past. What is striking about these personal memories is that, in many instances, they are inaccurate, yet confidently held. Most researchers assume that confidence ratings are based, in large part, on the memory's mnemonic features. That is, the more vivid or detailed the memory, the higher the confidence people have in its accuracy. However, we explore a heretofore underappreciated source on which confidence ratings may be based: the accessibility of memories as a result of selective retrieval. To explore this possibility, we use Anderson, Bjork, and Bjork's retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) paradigm with emotional (positive and negative) autobiographical memories. We found the standard RIF effect for memory recall across emotional valence. That is, selective retrieval of emotional autobiographical memories induced forgetting of related, but not retrieved emotional autobiographical memories compared to the baseline. More interestingly, we found that the confidence ratings for positive memories mirrored the RIF pattern: decreased confidence for related, unpracticed autobiographical memories relative to the baseline. For negative memories, we found the opposite pattern: increased confidence for both practiced autobiographical memories and related, unpracticed autobiographical memories. We discuss these results in terms of accessibility, the diverging mnemonic consequences of selectively retrieving positive and negative autobiographical memories and personal identity.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Coman, D., Coman, A., & Hirst, W. (2013). Medical decision-making and retrieval- induced forgetting. Frontiers (in press).
  2. Stone, C. B. (2011). Remembering and forgetting: The mnemonic consequences of selective voicing and silence in social interactions. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Sydney, NSW, Australia: Macquarie University.

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Authors
Stone, C. B., Luminet, O., & Hirst, W.
Affiliations
  • UCLouvain (BE)
  • Fund for Scientific Research (BE)
  • The New School (US)
Corresponding author
Stone, Charles B.
ORCID
Venue
Acta Psychologica
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-10
Volume
144
Issue
2
Pages
250-257
ISSN
0001-6918 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.06.019
OpenAlex
W2058204262
Cited by
19
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
FWCI
0.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Acta Psychologica (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DIAL (Catholic University of Leuven) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Louvain University Academia (AUL)
  • Marie Curie Actions of the European Union
  • National Science Foundation (BCS-0819067)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
retrieval-induced forgetting, autobiographical memory, memory confidence, emotional valence, selective retrieval, memory accessibility, self-concept, personal identity, memory accuracy, positive and negative memories
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Communication, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Recall, Self Concept, Young Adult, Memory, Episodic

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