title: A 3.5 year diary study: Remembering and life story importance are predicted by different event characteristics.
abstract: Forty-five participants described and rated two events each week during their first term at university. After 3.5 years, we examined whether event characteristics rated in the diary predicted remembering, reliving, and life story importance at the follow-up. In addition, we examined whether ratings of life story importance were consistent across a three year interval. Approximately 60% of events were remembered, but only 20% of these were considered above medium importance to life stories. Higher unusualness, rehearsal, and planning predicted whether an event was remembered 3.5 years later. Higher goal-relevance, importance, emotional intensity, and planning predicted life story importance 3.5 years later. There was a moderate correlation between life story importance rated three months after the diary and rated at the 3.5 year follow-up. The results suggest that autobiographical memory and life stories are governed by different mechanisms and that life story memories are characterized by some degree of stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark; Center on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Aarhus University, Denmark. Electronic address: dorthe.thomsen@psy.au.dk.
authors.forename: Dorthe Kirkegaard
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark; Center on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Martin Hammershøj
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Olesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schnieber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tønnesvang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D063545:Personal Narratives as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autobiographical memory; Diary study; Forgetting; Life story; Stability in life story memories