Autobiographical Memory and the Validity of Retrospective Reports

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xviii

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2. Introduction and Overview

   1. Introduction and Overview

      • Norbert Schwarz, Seymour Sudman

      Pages 1-8

3. Persepectives on Restrospective Reports

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

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   2. Autobiographical Memory and Survey Research

      • William F. Brewer

      Pages 11-20

   3. The Validity of Retrospective Reports as a Function of the Directness of Retrieval Processes

      • Douglas J. Herrmann

      Pages 21-37

   4. Accuracy, Truth, and Meaning in Autobiographical Reports

      • Kurt W. Back

      Pages 39-53

   5. On Authenticating and Using Personal Recollections

      • Michael Ross, Roger Buehler

      Pages 55-69

   6. Affect and Memory in Retrospective Reports

      • Mahzarin R. Banaji, Curtis Hardin

      Pages 71-86

4. Retrospective Reports of Behaviors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87

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   2. The Recall of Physical Pain

      • Peter Salovey, William J. Sieber, Jared B. Jobe, Gordon B. Willis

      Pages 89-106

   3. The Effects of Estimation Strategies on the Accuracy of Respondents’ Reports of Cigarette Smoking

      • Barbara Means, Gary E. Swan, Jared B. Jobe, James L. Esposito

      Pages 107-119

   4. Validity of Reports of Long-Term Dietary Memories: Data and a Model

      • Albert F. Smith, Jared B. Jobe

      Pages 121-140

   5. Errors of Experience: Response Errors in Reports about Child Support and Their Implications for Questionnaire Design

      • Nora Cate Schaeffer

      Pages 141-160

   6. Judgments of Behavioral Frequencies: Memory Search and Retrieval Strategies

      • Geeta Menon

      Pages 161-172

   7. On Providing Population Data To Improve Respondents’ Estimates of Autobiographical Frequencies

      • Edward Blair, Kathleen Williamson

      Pages 173-186

   8. Retrospective Reports: The Impact of Response Formats

      • Norbert Schwarz, Hans-J. Hippler, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann

      Pages 187-199

5. Event Dating and Time Estimation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 201-201

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   2. Telescoping and Temporal Memory

      • Norman M. Bradburn, Janellen Huttenlocher, Larry Hedges

      Pages 203-215

   3. The Impact of Differing Memory Domains on Event-Dating Processes in Self and Proxy Reports

      • John J. Skowronski, Andrew L. Betz, Charles P. Thompson, W. Richard Walker, Laura Shannon

      Pages 217-231

6. Comparisons of Self and Proxy Reports

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 233-233

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Autobiographical Memory and the Validity of Retrospective Reports presents the collaborative efforts of cognitive psychologists and research methodologists in the area of autobiographical memory. The editors have included an esteemed group of researchers whose work covers a wide range of issues related to autobiographical memory and the validity of retrospective reports, reflecting the diverse traditions in cognitive psychology and survey research. The first part of the book provides different theoretical perspectives on retrospective reports, along with supporting experimental evidence. The second part of this volume focuses specifically on retrospective reports of behaviors, including recall of the frequency and intensity of physical pain, of the number of cigarettes smoked, of dietary habits, and of child support payments. The following sections address the cognitive processes involved in event dating and time estimation, and a discussion of the differences between self and proxy reports. The final part extends the discussion of autobiographical memories in different directions, including the impact of autobiographical memories on individuals' assessment of their current life, the assessment of social change on the basis of retrospective reports, and the issue of collective memories. This book, an indispensable and timely resource for researchers and students of cognitive psychology as well as to survey methodologists and statisticians, demonstrates the considerable progress made in understanding the cognitive dynamics of retrospective reports.

• cognitive psychology
• memory
• pain
• psychology

• Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

  Norbert Schwarz

• Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinios at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA

  Seymour Sudman

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