title: The relation between verbal and visuospatial memory and autobiographical memory.
abstract: The basic-systems approach (Rubin, 2005, 2006) states that autobiographical memory is supported by other cognitive systems and argues that autobiographical memories are constructed from interactions between cognitive systems, such as language, vision and emotion. Although deficiencies in one or more of the basic systems influence the properties of autobiographical memories, little is known about how these cognitive abilities and autobiographical memory are related. To assert whether participants with stronger cognitive abilities also perform better on autobiographical memory tests, participants who completed verbal and visuospatial memory tests also recorded one personal event, which they recalled after a certain interval. Participants who performed well on the verbal memory tests also had better retention for the personal event, providing support for the basic-systems approach to autobiographical memory and preliminary support for the view that people have more memories from adolescence and early adulthood because the memory system works optimally in these lifetime periods.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, Australia. Electronic address: steve.janssen@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Steve M J
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kristo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Romke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rouw
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jaap M J
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Murre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Aging; Autobiographical memory; Cognitive abilities; Cognitive aging; Episodic memory; Reminiscence bump