A Tale of Three Functions: The Self-Reported Uses of Autobiographical Memory.

By Susan Bluck, Nicole Alea, T. Habermas, David C. Rubin. 2005

630 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Theories hold that autobiographical memory serves several broad functions (directive, self, and social). In the current study, items were derived from the theoretical literature to create the Thinking About Life Experiences (TALE) questionnaire to empirically assess these three functions. Participants (N = 167) completed the TALE. To examine convergent validity, they also rated their overall tendency to think about and to talk about the past and completed the Reminiscence Functions Scale (Webster, 1997). The results lend support to the existence of these theoretical functions, but also offer room for refinements in future thinking about both the breadth and specificity of the functions that autobiographical memory serves.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e1e6e29e36b63c71339c84361d9e9bdf2d771d85

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In Cognitive Neuroscience

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

In Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology

Citations in the corpus

Functions of remembering and misremembering emotion (2009, background): “Remembering emotion not only allows individuals to maintain and learn from important life experiences, it allows them to pass that knowledge along to others (Bluck et al., 2005).”
Thinking and talking about the past: Why remember? (2009, background): “It is a reliable, valid measure for examining the functions of autobiographical memory in young and older adults (see Bluck & Alea, in preparation; Bluck et al., 2005, for psychometric properties of the TALE).”
Reminiscence and mental health: a review of recent progress in theory, research and interventions (2010, background): “Bluck et al. (2005) carried out an empirical study among undergraduate students on the relation between functions of autobiographical memory and uses of reminiscence.”
Tourism Memory Characteristics Scale: Development and Validation (2021, background): “People build social bonds by sharing memories with others for persuasion and communication purposes (Bluck et al. 2005).”
Just tell us what happened to you: autobiographical memory and seeking asylum (2012, methodology): “Autobiographical memory serves three broad functions (see Bluck et al., 2005).”
Functions of Memory Sharing and Mother-Child Reminiscing Behaviors: Individual and Cultural Variations (2009, background): “In addition, individuals also use memory to regulate their emotions, which is sometimes thought of as a special form of directive function (Bluck et al., 2005; Webster, 1995).”
False Memories: What the Hell are They For? (2009, background): “Sharing personal memories with others in socially sensitive ways can facilitate social relationships (Alea &Bluck, 2003; Bluck et al., 2005).”
Imprinting by Design: The Microfoundations of Entrepreneurial Adaptation (2014, background): “Firstly, memory psychologists use a range of experimental and field techniques, including the collection and qualitative analysis of self-reported life stories and documented autobiographical narratives (Bluck et al., 2005).”