Assessing subjective autobiographical memory with Finnish versions of the Survey of Autobiographical Memory and the Autobiographical Recollection Test

Abstract

Reliably assessing subjective experience of autobiographical memory (AM) functioning would be useful for both research and clinical purposes. Hence, this study examines (1) the reliability of novel Finnish translations of the Survey of Autobiographical Memory (SAM) and the Autobiographical Recollection Test (ART), (2) how people self-assess their AM, and (3) gender- and age-related differences in subjective AM. In an online survey, 457 Finnish speakers (55% women, Mage = 40.6) completed the Finnish SAM and ART and single-item self-assessments of how well they remember their lives. Correlation analyses, t tests, and confirmatory factor analyses were used for analysis. Both measures demonstrated good internal consistency and reasonable fit to their suggested factor structures. However, for the SAM, the Semantic subscale and some individual items had problematic psychometric properties. Single-item self-assessments of subjective AM associated most strongly with scores on the SAM Episodic subscale and total scores, vividness, and coherence on the ART. SAM scores also correlated strongly with recollective experience, especially vividness. For young adults, women scored higher on future thinking and life story relevance, but lower on spatial memory than men. Among women, ratings of AM as generally better, vivid, and coherent increased with age. When asked to evaluate their AM, people’s answers may most strongly reflect the felt vividness and coherence of their memories. For more nuanced assessment of subjective AM, the ART provides one promising option explicitly aimed to capture recollective experience. Despite its different goals, scores on the SAM may also largely reflect recollective experience, especially vividness.