title: Crafting the TALE: construction of a measure to assess the functions of autobiographical remembering.
abstract: Theory suggests that autobiographical remembering serves several functions. This research builds on previous empirical efforts (Bluck, Alea, Habermas, & Rubin, 2005) with the aim of constructing a brief, valid measure of three functions of autobiographical memory. Participants (N=306) completed 28 theoretically derived items concerning the frequency with which they use autobiographical memory to serve a variety of functions. To examine convergent and discriminant validity, participants rated their tendency to think about and talk about the past, and measures of future time orientation, self-concept clarity, and trait personality. Confirmatory factor analysis of the function items resulted in a respecified model with 15 items in three factors. The newly developed Thinking about Life Experiences scale (TALE) shows good internal consistency as well as convergent validity for three subscales: Self-Continuity, Social-Bonding, and Directing-Behaviour. Analyses demonstrate factorial equivalence across age and gender groups. Potential use and limitations of the TALE are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. bluck@ufl.edu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bluck
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alea
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009769:Object Attachment; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires