Effects of goal attainment on autobiographical memory

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to explore the effect of goal attainment and valence on characteristics of autobiographical memories. University students and young adults recalled four autobiographical memories related to their goals: a) a memory positively related to an achieved goal, b) a memory negatively related to the achieved goal, c) a memory positively related to an unachieved goal, and finally d) a memory negatively related to the unachieved goal. They, then, filled out the Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire and the Centrality of Event Scale for each memory. Results showed an effect of goal attainment and valence for most of the memory characteristics. More importantly, there was a consistent interaction indicating that memories positively related to attained goals were recalled better with stronger phenomenological properties compared to other memories. More specifically, ABMs regarding achieved goals were remembered in more detail, with stronger phenomenology and more central to self than the ones related to unachieved goals.