Fictional First Memories
Shazia Akhtar
Lucy Justice
C Morrison
Martin Conway
10.25383/city.6115676.v1
https://city.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Fictional_First_Memories/6115676
<div>The data are variables for people's fictional first memories. </div><div><p><br></p><p>In the present
study we conducted the first large-scale web-based survey of <i>first</i> memories (rather than the more
general category of early <a></a><a>memories</a> Thus, the key variable in the present study was respondents’
estimates of their age when their first memory was formed: age at encoding
(AaE)<a>[1]</a>. Moreover,
because this was a large-scale study we were able to sample across the full age
range and draw on the general population. Uniquely, the survey was linked to a
popular series of radio programs on memory produced and broadcast by the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 4 in the United Kingdom (2007). </p><div><div><div>
</div>
</div>
</div><p> The fourth author
introduced the idea that the program would conduct a memory survey of various
type of memories (earliest, self-defining, and flashbulb memories) and report
the results of the survey in a later program. The audience were invited to log
into a memory web site hosted by the BBC that contained various sources of
information about memory and separate questionnaires for each of the three
types of memories-to-be sampled. The questionnaires always began with an
information page outlining key instructions regarding the nature of the to-be-sampled
memory, an informed consent box to be checked, and minimal demographic data was
collected (age, gender, county of residence in the UK and years in education,
see Supplemental Materials). Respondents
were also informed that after recalling their earliest memory they would be
asked to answer some questions about the memory. For these questions they were
instructed not to guess or infer answers but to only answer if they actually
remembered the answer. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Respondents then
moved to the next page of the questionnaire proper. They were instructed to
recall and then type a title and description (in the box provided) of their
very earliest memory. <a>The title was to be only a few words in length but of sufficient
specificity that if they read it again it would remind them of the memory they
had recalled</a> .<a>
The memory description was to be about a paragraph or so in length</a>The memory itself had to be one that they were certain they
remembered. It should not be based on, for example a family photograph, family
story, or any source other than direct experience. The memory had to be for a
specific one-off event that lasted no longer than minutes/hours. It was
specifically emphasised that the memory should not be of a routine or repeated
event. After entering the title and memory description respondents were then asked
to enter, in years, the age they believed they were in the memory. Following
this, the respondents answered a series of questions regarding the recollective
qualities of the memory (see Supplemental Materials for details). </p>
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2018-04-26 12:06:49
first memories
age at encoding
age at retrieval
memory perspective
fictional memories
narrative memories
Cognitive Science not elsewhere classified
Developmental Psychology and Ageing