From the archive: ‘Autobiographical memory: The next phase’ by J. A. Robinson & K. L. Swanson (1990). Applied Cognitive Psychology , 4 , 321–335 with commentary

Abstract

Robinson and Swanson's article provides an excellent metric for judging how far we have come in the field of autobiographical memory and yet how far we still have to go in understanding this fascinating, uniquely‐human capability. Published in 1990, the article lays out the ‘next phase’ for research. We followed many of the suggestions put forth there and in doing so have indeed greatly enriched the field. Today in 2010, however, we can still read this article for the valuable insights and new directions it provides for future research.