Autobiographical Memory of Traumatic Events by Women over 40
Angela Smith
Department of Psychology
INTRODUCTION
The focus of our presentation is on autobiographical memories of
women over 40 who have experienced sexual, physical, and
emotional abuse. Research shows that an increase in depression will
cause memories to become generalized and less defined, both happy
and unhappy memories (Rasmussen and Berntsen, 2013). Women in
their 20’s maintain positive attitudes for a hopeful life and retain
happier memories in exchange for unhappy ones and as women age
past 40, they remember those years more clearly with word-cued
memory recall (Berntsen and Rubin, 2002). Memory chains occur
when triggered by memory sharing and exchanges the generalized
information for a clearer memory of past events causing PTSD (Mace,
Clevinger, and Barnes, 2013). More research is needed in the area of
traumatic memories on women as they get older.
Grand Valley State University
Chemicals in the Brain Effect Recall
Recall of Traumatic
Events
al
Cortisol Levels are Increased in Women with PTSD who are Exposed
to Traumatic Stressors (Elzinga, Schmahl, Vermetten, Van Dyke, and
• The drive to make happy events even happier than they really
are may be fostered by need to downplay the negative
memories of traumatic events and to reconcile emotions
(Rasmussen and Burntsen, 2013).
Bremmer, 2003).
•
•
Exposure to cues or written scripts by women who suffer from
PTSD show signs of increased sympathetic response but not seen
in women who were exposed to the same cues and did not suffer
from PTSD from trauma (Elzinga, et al., 2003).
Memory may be inhibited by high levels of glucocorticoids (GC)
and have long-term inhibitory effects on memory recall (Elzinga, et
al., 2003).
• Self-preservation may be responsible for memory alterations
of positive events while recalling traumatic events from the
past (Rasmussen and Berntsen, 2013).
• Memory of these events may include emotional and physical
memories that cause involuntary recall during unrelated tasks
in every day life.
• The negative events leading to PTSD may be caused by a
predisposition to the disorder rather than the event itself
(Rubin, Bernsten, and Boals, 2008).
• Involuntary memory cues can lead to more involuntary
memories recalled (Mace et al., 2013).
Types of Memory
Future Cognitive Research Study
Women experience both positive and negative types of memories
which are linked to emotional responses for easier or more difficult
recall at a later time (Rasmussen and Berntsen, 2013). Memories are
classified as:
Voluntary
• Deliberately recalled with descriptive cues
• Desirable recall – may be positive or negative
PTSD and Domestic Violence Alters Memory
Internal Conversations with the Self Which Alters Memory of
Traumatic Event
•
Information told to self and others may impact memory of events
in autobiographical memory
Involuntary
• Spontaneous recall from cues in the environment
• Usually undesirable recall – generally negative
•
The alteration of memories of traumatic events because of
domestic violence leads to women remaining in violent
relationships far longer
Positive
• Memories of positive events may influence future memories to be
increasingly more positive than they are
• Memories elicit positive emotions toward building relationships and
self-esteem
•
False memories can be created through suggestibility,
misattribution, and transience, so maybe the memory of the event
is altered and cannot be trusted (Schacter, 1999).
•
Memory of events, even current ones, may be altered through
mental reasoning.
Negative
• Memories elicit negative emotions which may cause course
corrections in behavior when imagining the future
• People tend to push negative memories farther away so as to
push negative future images farther away and reducing negative
emotions
•
Reasons for desired change in memory of events (Eckstein, 2010):
o Lack of Practical Resources
o Excusing the Partner
o Face Concerns
• Traumatic memories may have a dissociation or disruptive effect
on memory and impairs voluntary recall (Rubin et al., 2003).
• PTSD causes an inability to control memories as they are recalled
and may be flooded by them involuntarily at times and unable to
recall with the same clarity or accuracy when desired (Rubin et al.,
 Perform a between subject self-report study of women with trauma as
they age in their later years
• Participants from many age brackets
• Participants who have been away from the trauma for at least
one year
• Use Rubin et al. (2008) basic memory inventory for evaluating
autobiographical memory of traumatic events to determine the
level of developmental PTSD through word and sensory cues
REFERENCES
o Lack of Relational Resources
o Positive Emotions
PTSD Effects on Memory in Women
 Perform a longitudinal within-subject design study observing
behavior and autobiographical memory as women age
• Follow women through life-time to observe behavior
• Measure GCs at intervals throughout lifespan
• Participants keep diary of cues and memories of when
involuntary recall happens
o Fear
o Hope for the Future
o Normative Behavior
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Eckstein, J. J. (2010). Reasons for Staying in Intimately Violent Relationships: Comparisons of men and women and
messages communicated to self and others. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 26, 21-30.
Elzinga, PhD, Bernet M., Schmahl, M.D., Christian G., Vermetten, M.D., Eric, Van Dyck, M.D., PhD, Richard, J.
Bremner M.D., Douglas (2003). Higher cortisol levels following exposure to traumatic. Yale Psychiatric
Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Retrieved from researchgate.net
Hauer, B. J., Wessel, II., Engelhard, I. M., Peeters, L. L., & Dalgleish, T. (2009). Prepartum autobiographical memory
specificity predicts post-traumatic stress symptoms following complicated pregnancy. Memory, 17, 544-556.
o Tradition
Mace, J. H., Clevinger, A. M., & Bernas, R. S. (2013). Involuntary memory chains: What do they tell us about
autobiographical memory organisation? Memory, 21, 324-335.
o Parenting
Rasmussen, A. S., & Berntsen, D. (2013). The reality of the past versus the ideality of the future: emotional valence
and functinal differenes between past and future mental time travel. Memory & Cognition, 41, 187-200.
Rubin, D. C., Berntsen, D., & Boals, A. (2008). Memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: properties of voluntary and
involuntary, traumatic and nontraumatic autobiographical memories in people with and without postttraumatic
stress disorder symptoms. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 137, 591-641.
2003).
Schacter, Daniel L. (1999). The seven sins of memory: Insights from psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
American Psychologist, 54, 182-203.
• Higher emotional connection to event which influences severity of
recall among people who suffer PTSD (Rubin et al., 2003).
Contact Information: smithang@mail.gvsu.edu