Reminiscence bump and contents of autobiographical memory in Japanese elders

Abstract

A reminiscence bump is a phenomenon that people typically remember the events experienced the ages of 10 and 30 more often than these experienced in other period. This paper investigates (1) whether a reminiscence bump is found in autobiographical memory in Japanese elders, and (2) the features and content of autobiographical memories in general and in the bump. Twenty-five participants more than sixty-years old recalled past events using a cue-word method, described the content of each memory, dated the event, and rated the features of the memory on five scales, i.e., vividness, importance, present self-involvement, past self-involvement, and frequency of recall. The results showed that although a reminiscence bump emerged, memories within the bump did not differ from other memories in terms of rated features nor in content. Approximately 50% of autobiographical memories were "self-centered", 30% were about "self-other relations", and the rest were "other-centered" and "scenes" which did not involve people. The results were discussed in relation to theories about the reminiscence bump.