Remembering Our Past

When David Rubin's Autobiographical Memory came out in 1986, Choice called it "an important book that helps advanced students define a vibrant new approach to memory research." Since then, work on autobiographical memory has matured, and the timing is right for a new overview of the topic in the form of Remembering Our Past, which brings together chapters by leading scientists in the field. The recent move of research in cognitive psychology out of the laboratory makes autobiographical memory appealing, because naturalistic studies can be done while maintaining empirical rigor. Many practical problems fall into the category of autobiographical memory, such as eyewitness testimony, survey research, and clinical syndromes in which there are losses or distortions of memory. Thus, the scope of this book extends beyond psychology into law, medicine, sociology, and literature. Remembering Our Past presents innovative research chapters and general reviews that will appeal to graduate students and researchers in cognitive science and psychology.