Autobiographical memories for personal past events create our life stories. Our memories range from the mundane to the momentous. In this course we will explore psychological research to understand the functions and development of autobiographical memory. What are the basic cognitive processes that contribute to our ability to remember and report the past? How do we interpret past events to inform the development of our self-identity? How do social experiences contribute to the development of memory? We will also discuss how emotions at encoding and retrieval influence our recall of past experience as we make meaning of personal past experiences. Keywords: Psychology, memory, narrative.
Specific objectives for course material. My goals for this course are for students to:
1) Learn about autobiographical memory, including how it is assessed in research, its neural substrates and how it is used in daily life.
2) Understand how different methodologies provide evidence for autobiographical memory behavior, development, and implications for well-being.
3) Understand the constructive nature of autobiographical memory and the role of meaning making for self and emotions.
4) Learn to interpret the basic statistical findings and use them in your writing.
5) Apply and connect theories and findings to your own experiences to understand their relevance in the real world.
Specific objectives for course material. My goals for this course are for students to:
1) Learn about autobiographical memory, including how it is assessed in research, its neural substrates and how it is used in daily life.
2) Understand how different methodologies provide evidence for autobiographical memory behavior, development, and implications for well-being.
3) Understand the constructive nature of autobiographical memory and the role of meaning making for self and emotions.
4) Learn to interpret the basic statistical findings and use them in your writing.
5) Apply and connect theories and findings to your own experiences to understand their relevance in the real world.
- Teacher: Melissa Burch