Cognitive Psychology

The Distribution of Autobiographical Memories Across the Lifespan:

How autobiographical memories are cued:

1) THE CUE WORD METHOD: The participant retrieves a memory that can be associated with each cue word.

2) THE IMPORTANT MEMORY METHOD: The participant retrieves the memories that they feel represent the most important memories of their life. 

There are 3 basic components to the lifespan distribution of autobiographical memories = 

• Childhood Amnesia: No memories until the age of 3 or 4. Only a few until age 7 or 8.
• The Reminiscence Bump: An increase in memories from childhood-adolescence or early…