Lecture 18 – Psych 350, A1

Fall, 2022

N. R. Brown
 Outline

• Collective Memory & Personal Memory

– The Living-in-History Project
• Transition Theory
• COVID-19: A T2 Perspective

Psych 350 Lec #18 – Slide 2

 Two Assumptions & An Implication
• Life-altering events, landmark events, spawn
“lifetime periods.”

• Public events can have a life-altering effect.

 Public events might spawn H-DAPs

Historically-Defined
Autobiographical Periods
 Empirical Questions
Do H-DAPs exist?
If so, where, when, & why?

Empirical Response: The LiH Project

One Method:
• 35 potentially interesting samples, 22
countries
• Inductive generalizations
 Method – Phase 1
• Materials:
– 20 neutral cue words:
automobile, bag, ball, book, box, bread, chair, coat, dog,
pencil, piano, pill, radio, river, snow, spoon, stone,
street, tree, window
• Task:
– recall an autobiographical event
• related to cue word
• specific
• at least one week old
– write brief description on index card
 Method – Phase 2
• Task:
– estimate when (year) each event occurred.

• Verbal Protocol:
– Ps thought aloud while generating dates
 35 Samples from 22 Countries

Sample # Age Test Date(s)

1 Sarajevo, Bosnia 27 24 7/04; 10/04
2 Sarajevo, Bosnia 23 22 9/06
3 Sarajevo, Bosnia 25 37 9/06
4 Sarajevo, Bosnia 26 57 8/10
5 Sarajevo, Bosnia 25 72 8/10
6 Podgorica, Montenegro 25 23 7/04; 10/04
7 Belgrade, Serbia 25 25 2/05
8 NYC, NY, USA 23 25 2/05

9 Ann Arbor, MI, USA 24 23 6/05; 9/05

10 Edmonton, AB, Canada 27 23 9/04 – 1/05

11 Jerusalem, Israel 28 24 5/05 – 6/05

12 Aalborg, Denmark 26 23 3/05 – 4/05

13 Izmit, Turkey 27 21 3/06

14 Ankara, Turkey 24 22 3/06; 10/06

15 Moscow, Russia 26 39 12/07

16 Moscow, Russia 32 44 08/12

17 Baku, Azerbaijan 41 49 03/13

18 Tashkent, Uzbekistan 35 48 05/14

19 Beirut, Lebanon 22 56 11/08 – 3/09

20 Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 22 59 11/08 – 3/09

 35 Samples from 22 Countries

Sample # Age Test Date(s)

21 Aalborg, Denmark 36 80 3/06

22 Netherlands 21 82 3/07

23 Ann Arbor, MI, USA 16 82 3/07

24 Edmonton, AB, Canada 26 83 3/07

25 Beijing, China (non-rusticated) 32 64 7/15 – 8/15

26 Beijing, China (rusticated) 14 64 7/15 – 8/15

27 Berlin, Germany* 23 78 1/11
28 Northern Germany* 25 76 9/09-11/09

29 Hong Kong+ 52 67 2016

30 Romania 35 70 2017

31 Cambodia 24 67 2017
Other samples – Unpublished, partially analyzed, no LiH Effect

32 El Paso Tx

33 Ciudad Juarez, MX

34 Czech Republic

35 Slovakia

*Bohn & Habermas, 2015; +Gu et al., 2019

China: Upheaval +
Displacement
 Living-in-History Effect
• Frequent reference to public events/periods
when dating mundane personal events

• Observed:
– Bosnia, Lebanon, (civil war)

– Germany, Netherlands, Denmark (WWII)

– Izmit Turkey (earthquake)

– “Rusticated” Chinese, Cambodians (upheaval &

displacement)
 Living-in-History Effect
• NOT Observed:
– Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Serbia,
Montenegro, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Romania,
East Germany (fall of Communism)
– Non-rusticated Chinese (Cultural Revolution)

– New York City (9/11)

– Israel (chronic civil engagement)

– Ciudad Juarez (wide-spread criminal violence)

–

– Canada, USA (WWII)

 LiH Project: 9 Claims
1. H-DAPs are the exceptions.
2. Intense prolonged conflict produce H-DAPs.
3. Major natural disasters spawn H-DAPs.
4. H-DAP references temporally clustered.
5. H-DAP references are intensity graded.
6. H-DAP formation is age-independent.
7. H-DAPs last a lifetime.
8. Political upheaval does NOT create H-DAPs
9. Terrorism does NOT create H-DAPs
Psych 350 Lec #18– Slide 12
 The Living-in-History Effect
LiH Effect occurs & H-DAPs are formed:

Only when & where public events bring about a

fundamental change in the fabric of daily life.

change ≈ transition
 Induction-based Prediction
LiH Effect:
1.should occur only when a public event has
produced a high degree of material change.

2.should not occur in the absence of substantial

material change, regardless of the degree of
psychological change it engenders.
 Post-Soviet Samples

Transitional Impact Scale :

•12 questions
– 6 assess material change
– 6 assess psychological change

Three Samples:
•Russia, Azerbaijan, & Uzbekistan
•20-30 years old in 1991
 Material Change Questions
•This event has changed the places where I Transition Impact Scale
hang out. Svob et al., 2014
•This event has changed the things I own.
•This event has changed my material • Provides an index of
circumstances.
•This event has changed the activities I engage transitional impact of
in. personal & public events
•This event has changed the people I spend
time with. • Subscales for Material &
•This event has changed where I live. Psychological Change
Psychological Change Questions
•This event has changed my attitudes.
• 12 statements
•This event has changed the way I think about – Agreement ratings:
things.
•This event has impacted my emotional 1 (strongly disagree) 
responses. 5 (strongly agree)
•This event has changed my sense of self.
•This event has impacted me psychologically.
•This event has influenced my understanding of
right and wrong.
 End of Communism failed
to produce a robust LiH Effect.

% of Public Event
5 References
Material Psychological
Mean Transitional Impact

Change Change
4 Serbia 5%
Montenegro 4%
3
Russia-1 5%
2 Russia-2† 1%
Azerbaijan† 1%
1
Uzbekistan† 1%
ek a

n
er n
ek a

n
er n

ija
Az ista
i

ija
Az ista

U uss
U uss

ba
ba

East 7%
R
R

zb
zb

Germany*

†
Nourkova & Brown, 2015; *Menzel & Bohn, 2013
 Conclusion
• Historical events organization autobiographical
memory ONLY when they act as collective
transitions.
• Collective transition:
– Acts a group level
– Brings about a fundamental change in the fabric
of daily life -- in what people do, where they do
it, and with whom.
• Material change, not psychological change,
(probably) predicts LiH Effect
 Motivation I
The Data & Their Implications

LiH Findings

FoDL (Fabric of Daily Life)
Metaphor
 LiH Effect: 31 Samples Later
LiH Effect occurs & H-DAPs are formed:

Only when & where public events bring about a

fundamental change in the fabric of daily life.

change ≈ transition

fabric of daily life:

•What are the “threads?”
•How are they “woven” together?
 Motivation II – Parsimony/Aesthetics

Is “simple”/minimalist account possibly?

“Simple” account based on:
•Environmental regularities
•Basic memory processes

Gibson, Neisser, Bruwnswick

 T2
Assumption:
Content & organization mirror structure of
experience:
•Stucture of Experience:
• Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetion, repetition....
• Co-occurrence
• Change
• Distinctiveness
Driven by basic memory principles &
mechanisms
 T2: The Components

• T-DECs
• Event Represenations
• Periods
• Transitions
 Temporally-Delineated Event Components

• Conceptual representation of an identifiable,

frequently encountered features of
experience
– people, places, activities, possessions
• Coordinate T-DEC-specific knowledge:
– temporal knowledge
– atemporal knowledge
*T-DEC =
Temporally-Delinitated
Event Component

P 37
L 18
A 92
1
3

Event Representation --
E 683 Standard View:
1
Bound set of T-DECs*
 Autobiographical Periods
Coordinate temporally-delineated knowledge:
– T-DECs
– Distinctive events/Notable personal
narrative
– Evaluations
– Period-specific semantic knowledge
Examples:
“My High School years,” “My NYC period”
 The Question:
From Event Periods

• But, where do periods come from?

• How are periods represented?
 Dual Impact of Experience on AM

1. Form Event Representation

• bound set of co-occurring ECs

2. Creates/strengthens inter-EC
associations (Hebbian Learning)
• forming/altering EC networks
P
1
37
L 18 A 9
3 2

E 6831

Event Representation – TT View:

Bound set of T-DECs* +
Association between T-DECs
 Pittsburgh Years

EC
Network
s

Event
Representations
 T2’s take on Lifetime Periods

Period Representation
•Weakly interconnected set of event representations.

•Richly interconnected EC Networks

Period Formation:
•Driven by basic associative
processes:
– co-occurrence
– contiguity
– repetition
 Transitions Defined
Transitions:
•Cause (signal) significant enduring change in the
fabric of daily life.

Prototypical Transition(-by-Replacement):
•Relocating to distant city
Prior dwelling  current dwelling; prior office  current office; old commute 
current commute; prior colleagues current colleagues; prior local  current local,
etc.
 Transitions Defined
Transitions:
•Produce (mark) synchronized
additions/deletions of many salient ECs
(people, places, objects, activities)
 Relocation

Pittsburgh Years Edmonton Years

EC Networks

Event
Representations
 T2: Empirical Support
Context: T2 developed to account for mnemonic impact of
Collective Transitions
Question: What about important Personal Transitions?

Predictions: Important personal transitions should produce LiH-

type effects:

•Event Dating: Frequent reference to designated transition in

dating protocols

•Temporal Distribution should display designated “bump”

 Transitions & Temporal
Distribution of AM

• Memorable events tend to pile-up around transitions.

– For collective & personal transitions
• Why? Memorable events tend to be:
– Firsts, lasts, & unique/distinctive transition-related events
– Exploration: One-offs, blunders, effort-after-meaning
 Chinese Immigration Study
Participants: 40 China  Canada Immigrants
•MD age of arrival = 38 years
•MD # of time in Canada = 10 years

Method
1.Word-cued memory:
18 cue words: ball, book, box, bread, etc.
practice words: automobile and bag
2. Think-aloud dating:
the year of events & dating protocols
3. TIS-12 (immigration)
6 material-impact items + 6 psychological-impact items
 3
8

Living-through-Immigration Effect

22
21 Immigration (15%)
20
19 Historical (6%)
18 Pop/Sports/Weather/Holiday (1%)
17
16 Personal/Generic (78%)
15 5-year bins
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
Percentage of Justified Estimates

1
0
-45 -40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10
Years Before (-) / After (+) Immigration

Shi & Brown, 2016

Immigration Bump & Reminiscence Bump

Mean TIS Scores (1-5 scale):

•Material: 4.5
•Psychological: 4.0

Reminiscence Bump

Immigration Bump
 28
Temporal Distributions
Younger Cohort
26
24 (Mean DoB = 1953) of Recalled Events:
22
20
18
Very Related (6%)
Somewhat Related (7%)
Post-formative
Not Related (87%)
16
Bosnians
Percentage of All Recalled Events

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
Upheaval Bump:
•Date: Old = Young
0

28
26
Older Cohort
24 (Mean YoB = 1938)
22
20 Very Related (5%)

Reminiscence Bump:
Somewhat Related (6%)
18 Not Related (89%)
16
14
12
10
•Date: Old < Young
8
6
4
2
0
6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 7 0
94 95 95 96 96 97 97 98 98 99 99 00 00 01
9-1 7-1 2-1 7-1 2-1 7-1 2-1 7-1 2-1 7-1 2-1 7-2 2-2 8-2
3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 0 0
19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20

Estimated Year of Occurance

 4 Main Point
LiH Project
1.Public events organization AM ONLY when they act as collective transitions.
Transition Theory
2.Experience impacts memory in 2 ways.
– Episodic encoding
– Hebbian learning trial
3.Personal/collective Transitions:
– Delineate lifetime periods
– Spawn memorable personal events
4.Period structure is an emergent property reflecting:
– Environmental regularities
– Hebbian learning.
 The Blindingly Obvious

• Life After COVID is different:

– Lock-downs, quarantines, self-isolation, social distancing, PPE,
on-line classes, working remotely, job-loss, border closures,
travel restrictions, bankruptcies, foreclosures…
and of course,
REMOTE university courses
 COVID-19 Pandemic as Collective Transition

• COVID-19 Pandemic: Largest Collective Transition in history

• Transitions affect organization & content of Autobiographical

Memory (AM)

COVID-19 Pandemic should affect organization/content of AM

But How?
 Predictions: The COVID Bump

• Transitions/adjustment/unstable periods give rise to

memorable events proportional to their impact/duration.
– COVID Bump – March 2020 should produce a bump in free
recall & word-cued AMs.
– The COVID Bump should vanish – March 2021

– Altered Calendar Effect (for on-line in-coming UG): smaller

bump for June & September 2020
 Predictions: “Blursday”  Lockdown Dip

• Stable/inactive periods generate relatively few memorable

events:
– Lockdown Dip: Lockdown periods (“blursday”) should yield a dip in
free recall & word-cued AMs
– .

• Dearth of interesting (potentially memorable) experiences

• Repeated events  schematized event representations

• Cue-overload (e.g., teaching from the kitchen table) interference

– Dip should reflect temporal & regional differences in

timing/duration of lockdown.
 Tentative Predictions: COVID as Life-story Chapter

• Transitions/periods included as life-story chapters only when

they produce/represent fundamental & enduring change in the
fabric of daily life.
– If transitional impact of COVID high (high TIS), COVID included.

– If transitional impact of COVID low (low TIS), COVID excluded.

There is the world B.C. — Before Corona — and the
world A.C. — After Corona.
Thomas Friedman, New York Times

March 17, 2020

Well…was he right?
And how can we tell?
 COVID Onset as Collective Transition

There is the world B.C. — Before Corona — and the

world A.C. — After Corona.

B.C. = Pre-COVID Period

A.C. = COVID Period
COVID Onset = Collective Transition

------BC------ Onset  ------ AC-----

 COVID Meets the Calendar Effect

Background:
•Task: Recall AMs for 1st yr in uni
– Elevated Recall:
• 1st months of university
• Semester ends
– March – among “the boringist
month”
•University Entry as Personal
Transition
•Transitions (& holidays) spawn
memorable personal events

Robinson, 1986
 COVID Meets the Calendar Effect

Background:
•Transitions/upheaval spawn memorable personal
events  Bumps
Siege of Sarajevo Immigration: CN  CA

Assumption:
•Onset of COVID, March 2020, served as collective
transition.
Prediction:
•COVID Bump for March 2020.
 The Pandemic IS Interesting

Because it is unique:
•Scope: near universal
•Highly variable
– impact & responses
•Nature & Durations of Restrictions
– “transition-by-omission”
•Experiencing mediated COVID
– 2 yrs – Relentless, saturation coverage
– 2 yrs – inescapable topic of conversation
 COVID Meets the Calendar Effect

Background:
•Transitions/upheaval spawn memorable personal
events  Bumps
Siege of Sarajevo Immigration: CN  CA

Assumption:
•Onset of COVID, March 2020, served as collective
transition.
Prediction:
•COVID Bump for March 2020.
 COVID Bump Study

Tasks:
•Recall 12 memorable, interesting or important
personal events.
•Date recalled events
•COVID Relatedness Judgments
•Transitional Impact Scale (TIS-12)
Participants:
•First-year undergraduates
– University of Alberta
– University of Michigan
– University of Texas El Paso
 COVID Bump Study: Two Waves

Range Includes
COVID Onset March Bump?
Wave N Test Start End 3/20?

1 113 Fall 2020 9/19 8/20 YES YES

AB-FA
2 112 Fall 2021 9/20 8/21 NO NO
1 96 Winter 2021 1/20 12/20 YES YES
AB-WI
2 111 Winter 2022 1/21 12/21 NO NO
1 96 Winter 2021 1/20 12/20 YES YES
MI-WI
2 115 Winter 2022 1/21 12/21 NO NO
1 76 Winter 2021 1/20 12/20 YES YES
TX-WI
2 105 Winter 2022 1/20 12/20 NO NO
 COVI
2019 D 2020 2021

Winter Collection
UA, UTEP, & UM

Fall
Collection
UA Only

Wave 2 Wave 2
Wave 1 Wave 1
HS Grad Start Uni
HS Grad Start Uni
Wave 1
Wave 2
 AB-FA: Wave 1 & Wave 2

22
2019/2020; N = 113
20

18
COVID Bump 3/20
16

14

12

10

8
Percentage of
Recalled Memories

2
O Ja F M A M J Ju A
Se ct No De n e b ar p r ay u n l ug
pt v c
AB-FA: Wave 1 & Wave 2

No 3/21 Bump!
 Waves 1 & 2: Four Replications
Alberta Alberta Michigan Texas
20
Fall Term Winter Term Winter Term Winter Term
18

16

14

12

10

4
Percentage of Recall Events

2 2019/2020; N=11 2020; N=96 2020; N=76

2020; N=96
2020/2021; N=112 2021; N=111 2021; N=115 2021; N=105
0
Se Oc N D Ja Fe M Ap M Ju JulAu Ja Fe M Ap M Ju Ju A S O N D Ja Fe M Ap M Ju Ju A S O N D Ja Fe M Ap M Ju Ju A S O N D
p t ov ec n b ar r ay n g n b ar r ay n l ug ep ct ov ec n b ar r ay n l ug ep ct ov ec n b ar r ay n l ug ep ct ov ec
Month Month Month Month

• Predicted March Δ in all replications

• Within Replication: parallel Calendar Effect
• Unexpected between region differences (cf. TX)
 Waves 1 & 2: Four Replications

• Predicted March Δ in all replications

14
2020
2021
12

10

8
March

4
Memories

2
Percentage of

AB
Fa A M
ll B W I W TX
in W
in t in
te er te
r r
 COVID Related Memories
Relatedness Judgments:
0=Unrelated CONDITION: MII
SETTI

1=Indirectly Related
NG EVENT MEMORY RELATEDNESS MONTH YEAR
Learning I was exposed to COVID at work at had to 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the
shut the store down COVID-19 Pandemic
UA May 2021
When I got to go back in person after being online for 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the

2=Directly Related
3 months last year. It was so exciting to see my COVID-19 Pandemic
friends and my favourite teacher again. I only got 2
more weeks of that class but it was fun in the
moment

February 2021
At graduation my friend and I skipped the grad 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
dinner because we didn't want to hangout with the the COVID-19 Pandemic
other people. We had pizza and looked at our
pictures instead

June 2021
I recall going to my sisters birthday party, and how 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
happy she was to see all of her friends. I remember the COVID-19 Pandemic
meeting her friends for the first time in teh jungle
gym, and how happy I was that she was finally able
to have a birthday party, since covid causes her to
not be able to for so long.

October 2021
I watched the new Spiderman movie. 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
COVID-19 Pandemic December 2021
I drove to my aunties house in the country for the 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
first time. COVID-19 Pandemic
September 2021
We went to Fort Lauderdale for spring break, which 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the
was our first trip since the pandemic started. COVID-19 Pandemic
UM March 2021
I got super bad acne on my face due to constant 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the
masking, and had an unwanted COVID-19 Pandemic
interaction/converasation with an acquaintance
about it
May 2021
I graduated from high school. It was outside on a 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
football field while we were wearing masks. the COVID-19 Pandemic
June 2021
I competed in my last ethics bowl competition and 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
while it was online, I had lots of fun debating ethical the COVID-19 Pandemic
topics.
February 2021
My mom sent me yellow flowers and a smiley face 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
mug for my birthday. COVID-19 Pandemic July 2021
I attended my first college football game. 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
COVID-19 Pandemic August 2021
In April of last year I took my 2 covid-19 vaccines at 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the
my university. COVID-19 Pandemic
UT April 2021
Getting COVID prior going to my dream concert 2 – This event was DIRECTLY RELATED to the
COVID-19 Pandemic
September 2021
My first date with my girlfriend through zoom. 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
the COVID-19 Pandemic
January 2021
Day I quit my first job 1 – This event was INDIRECTLY RELATED to
the COVID-19 Pandemic
July 2021
I drove a boat on a river during vacation. 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
COVID-19 Pandemic June 2021
In November it was my birthday so I buy a new 0 – This event was UNRELATED to the
phone with my money. COVID-19 Pandemic November 2021
 COVID Related Memories (Rated 1 or 2)
Relatedness Judgments:
0=Unrelated
1=Indirectly Related
0.7
2=Directly Related Wave 1
Wave 2
0.6

0.5
•Related memories common
0.4
•% Related decreases over time
(kinda) 0.3

COVID-Related
Memories
0.2

0.1

Percentage of 0.0

AB
F al AB M TX
l IW
W in W
in te in
te r te
r r