Web-Based Assessment of the Phenomenology of Autobiographical Memories in Young and Older Adults

Abstract

Autobiographical memories (ABMs) produce rich phenomenological experiences. Although few standardized and comprehensive measures of the phenomenology of ABMs have been developed, a web-based assessment of the full range of phenomenological properties is still missing. In the present study, we aimed to fill this gap and tested the psychometric properties of a web-based version of the Assessment of the Phenomenology of Autobiographical Memory (APAM) in a group of young and older adults. Specifically, taking advantage of the flexibility of web-based assessment methodology, we tested the rating consistency of APAM items, asking participants to rate the phenomenology of their ABMs with respect to seven cues, administered in one per day in seven different days. In each session, we also collected ratings of mood and arousal. Using linear mixed modeling (LMM), we could examine whether the phenomenology ratings differed with respect to age group while controlling for sex, age of the memory, arousal, mood, and specificity of the memory. Results revealed an adequate level of consistency of ratings in both young and older adults. Moreover, LMMs revealed a more intense experience of recollection and reliving (i.e., sensory and emotional) and a higher confidence in memory accuracy in older compared to younger adults. The theoretical and practical usefulness of a web-based assessment of the phenomenology of ABMs are discussed.

Semantic Self-Images and Well-Being in Young and Older Adults: Does the Accessibility Matter?

“…In the present study, the assessment of the semantic self-images and well-being was carried out online, remotely. Web-based methodology has several advantages [ 60 ] as it provides an efficient and cost-effective solution, especially when one is interested in comparing multiple measures taken on different days, as in the present study; during the pandemic, the possibility to run from remote increased the availability of testing and participants.…”

“…Web-based assessment of cognitive functioning, including phenomenological aspects of autobiographical memories, is feasible also with older adults and in unsupervised settings [ 60 , 61 , 62 ] and in some studies older adults evaluated computer-based and web-based self-administered measures more favourably than paper-and-pencil tests, as they perceived these modalities as more user-friendly and less stressful [ 63 , 64 , 65 ]. Moreover, the flexibility of scheduling might contribute to a less taxing experience, increasing compliance and reducing the risk of dropout.…”

The Subjective Experience of Autobiographical Remembering: Conceptual and Methodological Advances and Challenges

“…As a result, the information they provide is limited to the specific memory elicited and cannot be considered representative of the general and typical way in which the participant "remembers", i.e., as a stable disposition. In single-item measures, the score on the dimension can be computed as a composite measure of the same item rated on multiple memories, each of which is elicited by a cue word that could be presented together with other cue words in a single session (e.g., Vannucci et al 2020) or one per day (e.g., Vannucci et al 2021). Such composite scores are reliable as much as scores on multi-item measures, but, given the different eliciting stimuli for the memories, they can be considered more informative about the extent to which each dimension is relevant in the participant's autobiographical remembering in general.…”

Subjective memory measures: metamemory questionnaires currently in use

“…Another questionnaire, the Autobiographical Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (AMCQ) was developed to assess characteristics of autobiographical memories with 14 subscales (Boyacioglu & Akfirat, 2015). More recently, the Assessment of the Phenomenology of Autobiographical Memory (APAM) measure was created to address phenomenology of autobiographical memory with healthy adults and clinical populations with a web version for online self-administration (Vannucci et al, 2020(Vannucci et al, , 2021.…”