S u m m a r y

 

Simula A (2007)

 

The effects of emotional intensity on autobiographical memory 

Psykologia 43: 18&endash;26. Vammala ISSN 0355-1067.

The article reviews research concerning the relation of emotions and autobiographical memory and discusses possible mechanisms for enhanced or impaired memory for emotionally intensive events. Studies of flashbulb memories and traumatic experiences indicate that emotional events are generally remembered better than neutral memories. In addition to emotional intensity, personal consequentiality and surprise are typical features of well-remembered events, and rehearsal has also been suggested as being important. Enhanced processing, both pre-attentive and attentive, and narrowed focus of attention are possible mechanisms which make the gist of the event well-remembered over long periods of time. However, even emotionally intense memories are not photograph-like images, but, like other memories, are reconstructed through later processing. Sometimes memories of trauma can become fragmentary, like in post-traumatic stress disorder or repressive coping style. The article also discusses a relatively new line of research, comparison of positive and negative memories. It seems that positive memories are generally more accessible in memory, but in fact they may more often be subject to distortions. These findings reflect the different processing styles associated with negative and positive events.

Anni Simula, graduate student (psych.), Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 9, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.