THE STRUCTURE OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY AND THE EVENT HISTORY CALENDAR - POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF RETROSPECTIVE REPORTS INSURVEYS

This paper reviews the literature on the structure of autobiographical memory and points to the use of event history calendars as a survey m ethodology that reflects this structure. Autobiographical memory struc ture is characterised as an hierarchical network that includes extende d, summarised, and specific events, and that permits retrieval of past events through multiple pathways that work top-down in the hierarchy, sequentially within life themes that unify extended events, and in pa rallel across life themes that involve contemporaneous and sequential events. Traditional survey questions tend to segment related aspects o f autobiographical events from one another, and do not reflect the int errelatedness of events as indicated within the structure of autobiogr aphical memory. In contrast, event history calendars do promote sequen tial and parallel retrieval within the autobiographical memory network . By reflecting the structure of autobiographical memory, the use of e vent history calendars has considerable potential in assisting respond ents to reconstruct their personal pasts more completely and accuratel y, maximising the quality of retrospective reports.