Involuntary autobiographical memories: an introduction to the unbidden past

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 8
Tables......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
1 Introduction to the unbidden past......Page 15
The forgotten memories......Page 19
Daydreaming and the stream of consciousness......Page 24
This book......Page 29
2 Theoretical backgrounds......Page 33
An episodic memory theory of involuntary autobiographical memories......Page 34
Involuntary daydreaming......Page 38
Involuntary recollections of traumatic events......Page 42
Involuntary symbolic memories......Page 46
Summary of psychodynamic theories......Page 48
Thought suppression......Page 49
Preconscious spreading activation......Page 52
Direct retrieval and the censorship of the self......Page 53
Information processing theories......Page 55
Neural theories......Page 57
Summary of cognitive theories......Page 59
Aesthetic theories......Page 60
3 Ways to study the unbidden past......Page 64
The sampling method......Page 65
The survey method......Page 66
The structured diary method......Page 67
Laboratory methods......Page 69
Method......Page 72
Results......Page 73
4 How special are involuntary autobiographical memories?......Page 80
Distribution of memories across life......Page 82
Frequency and rehearsal......Page 87
Intensity bias......Page 91
Intensity bias......Page 93
Summary......Page 98
5 How do they come to mind?......Page 100
Characteristics of the cues......Page 102
Attentional and motivational biases......Page 108
A relaxed state of awareness......Page 110
Motivational biases......Page 112
The interplay between cuing via association and motivational factors......Page 115
Why aren't we flooded by involuntary memories?......Page 119
Cue underload......Page 121
Distinctiveness......Page 122
Motivational biases......Page 123
6 Differences between involuntary and voluntary autobiographical memories......Page 125
Retrieval-related differences......Page 127
Events favored by involuntary relative to voluntary retrieval......Page 129
Illustrations of involuntary memories with distinctive features......Page 133
Category 1: cue underload......Page 134
Category 2: multiple cues......Page 135
Category 3: distinctiveness......Page 136
Specificity, distinctiveness, and life-story relevance......Page 139
The emotional impact of involuntary memories......Page 142
Associative versus appraisal-based activation of emotion......Page 143
Emotion regulation and involuntary versus voluntary memories......Page 146
Involuntary memories as observed by Marcel Proust......Page 147
Proustian and everyday involuntary memories......Page 151
7 Involuntary memories of traumatic events......Page 157
Two opposing views......Page 159
Special mechanisms theories of involuntary trauma memories......Page 162
Active memory storage......Page 163
Situationally and verbally accessible memories......Page 164
Data-driven processing and poor integration......Page 166
Studies in naturalistic settings......Page 167
Laboratory studies......Page 173
Empirical evidence for the basic mechanisms view......Page 176
The recurrent nature of involuntary trauma memories......Page 177
Flashback quality of involuntary trauma memories......Page 187
Long-term persistency......Page 192
Summary......Page 194
8 Future and past......Page 196
The unbidden future......Page 197
Possible implications for our understanding of episodic memory......Page 203
Involuntary mental time travel in other species?......Page 207
Differences in subjective time span......Page 209
Functions of involuntary mental time travel......Page 211
References......Page 213
Index......Page 236