Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 8;15(8):815-825.
doi: 10.1093/scan/nsaa105.

Getting better without memory

Julia G Halilova  1 , Donna Rose Addis  2   3 , R Shayna Rosenbaum  1   2
Affiliations

Getting better without memory

Julia G Halilova et al. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. .

Abstract

Does the tendency to adjust appraisals of ourselves in the past and future in order to maintain a favourable view of ourselves in the present require episodic memory? A developmental amnesic person with impaired episodic memory (HC) was compared with two groups of age-matched controls on tasks assessing the Big Five personality traits and social competence in relation to the past, present and future. Consistent with previous research, controls believed that their personality had changed more in the past 5 years than it will change in the next 5 years (i.e. the end-of-history illusion), and rated their present and future selves as more socially competent than their past selves (i.e. social improvement illusion), although this was moderated by self-esteem. Despite her lifelong episodic memory impairment, HC also showed these biases of temporal self-appraisal. Together, these findings do not support the theory that the temporal extension of the self-concept requires the ability to recollect richly detailed memories of the self in the past and future.

Keywords: case study; developmental amnesia; end-of-history illusion; episodic memory; self-appraisal; social improvement illusion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Inverted coronal T2 images perpendicular to the hippocampus through the hippocampal head (HH). Poor digitation of the HH, absence of the mammillary bodies (aMB) and anterior pillar of fornix (aAPF) in HC Image also shows blurred internal structures of the hippocampus. The left side of the brain is on the left as per neurological convention.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Self-reported absolute changes in personality scores from 5 years ago to the present (left) and from the present to 5 years from now (right), in Experiment 1. The control group reported having changed more in the past 5 years than they anticipated changing in the next 5 years, constituting the typical temporal personality bias. HC’s difference in scores for the past 5 years and for the next 5 years did not significantly differ from that of controls. Error bars represent SE.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Self-reported social competence scores across five time periods for HC and controls in Experiment 1. In controls, social competence ratings in elementary school were significantly lower than in the present and future, and self-appraisals were significantly more positive for 5 years from now than for high school. HC’s reported social improvement between high school and the present was significantly greater than that reported by controls. Error bars represent SE.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Self-reported absolute changes in personality scores from 5 years ago to the present (left) and from the present to 5 years from now (right), in Experiment 2. Reproducing results of Experiment 1, HC and controls reported having changed more in the past 5 years than they anticipated changing in the next 5 years. Error bars represent SE.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Social competence scores across five time periods for HC and a high self-esteem subsample of controls in Experiment 2. HC and controls reported lower social competence in elementary and high school relative to the present. No differences were found between other life periods. Error bars represent SE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Addis, D.R., Tippett, L.J. (2004). Memory of myself: autobiographical memory and identity in Alzheimer's disease. Memory, 12(1), 56–74. 10.1080/09658210244000423. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Addis, D.R., Tippett, L.J. (2008). The contributions of autobiographical memory to the content and continuity of identity: a social-cognitive neuroscience approach. In: Sani, F., editor. Self continuity: individual and collective perspectives, New York, NY: Psychology Press, pp. 71–84Chapter xv, 273 Pages.
    1. Arnould, A., Rochat, L., Azouvi, P., van der Linden, M. (2018). Self-appraisals and episodic memory: different psychological factors related to patient versus informant reports of apathy in severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 40(7), 650–62. 10.1080/13803395.2017.1411468. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B. (2012). lme4: Linear mixed-effects models using S4 classes (R Package) http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/lme4/index.html
    1. Blumenthal, A., Duke, D., Bowles, B., et al. (2017). Abnormal semantic knowledge in a case of developmental amnesia. Neuropsychologia, 102, 237–47. - PubMed

Publication types