Trauma research has primarily concentrated on memory dysfunction related to the past but people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms also report difficulties with remembering future intentions (i.e., prospective memory; PM). Yet, the relationship between PM and PTSD symptoms depends on how PM is assessed (i.e., self-report vs objective assessment methods). To clarify this relationship, we developed a naturalistic, experimenter-controlled PM paradigm that avoids self-report biases and has higher ecological validity than lab-based tasks: Modified-Actual Week (based on Rendell & Craig, 2000). Here, PM performance was unrelated to PTSD symptoms but correlated with metacognitive beliefs and self-report PM (N = 262); interestingly, the latter relationship was stronger among people with probable PTSD. Our results align with previous research showing a dissociation between self-report and performance-based PM and PTSD. Less or un-impaired everyday PM in people with PTSD, despite self-reported memory concerns, may be relevant for symptom assessment and cognitive therapy.

Repeated event memories can be conceptualized as intermediate on a hypothesized semantic-episodic continuum. Using an observational design, we examine whether this framework can extend to single instances of repeated events. In a preregistered study (N = 600) we asked participants to recall one repeated event, one single instance of a repeated event, and one unique event. We used linear mixed-effect models to compare ratings of single episode reliance, semantic reliance, and visual detail, observing lower visual detail ratings in single instances than repeated events. Other ratings aligned with a hypothesized continuum with repeated events closest to semantic memory, unique events closest to episodic memory, and single instances in the middle. Latent profile analysis revealed further differences between these events. A similarly-sized replication is underway.

Autobiographical memories serve important psychosocial functions, but they may also be used in ways that are detrimental to a person’s well-being. The present research aimed to identify distinct patterns of memory use in people who have experienced the loss of a close other. Compared to a convenience sample (N = 365; 18-89 years), bereaved adults (N = 368; 18-84 years) engaged more frequently in ruminative reminiscing on average. The use of memories for intimacy-maintenance and bitterness-revival was particularly high among participants who had lost a child. The findings contribute to our understanding of how non-normative events shape memory use.

Memory impairments are often observed for information participants expect to be externally saved, a finding typically attributed to cognitive offloading of memory. Research examining these impairments largely focuses on short facts or word lists. Three experiments investigated the impact of anticipated external access on memory for lengthier text passages. We used a within-subjects design with two conditions; participants anticipated access to a textual passage during a later memory test, or participants anticipated no access to the text. In Experiments 1 and 2, performance on a multiple-choice test was significantly impaired when participants anticipated access to the text compared to when they did not. These results suggest that participants engage in memory offloading when reading informational text passages exceeding 500 words. In Experiment 3, which is underway, participants listened to an audio recording of the passages while reading along to hold reading time constant between conditions.