Individual Differences in Autobiographical Memory

Although humans have a remarkable capacity to recall a wealth of detail from the past, there are marked interindividual differences in the quantity and quality of our mnemonic experiences. Such differences in autobiographical memory may appear self-evident, yet there has been little research on this topic. In this review, we synthesize an emerging body of research regarding individual differences in autobiographical memory. We focus on two syndromes that fall at the extremes of the ‘remembering’ dimension: highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) and severely deficient autobiographical memory (SDAM). We also discuss findings from research on less extreme individual differences in autobiographical memory. This avenue of research is pivotal for a full description of the behavioral and neural substrates of autobiographical memory. The syndromes of highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) and severely deficient autobiographical memory (SDAM) have come under recent investigation. These syndromes pose challenges for theories of memory. Research on individual differences in autobiographical memory across the spectrum have also emerged, complementing prior work involving individual differences in laboratory-based episodic memory. Additional research that is focused on HSAM and SDAM, particularly those involving larger sample sizes, will provide a novel platform for understanding the cognitive and neural factors that are associated with the formation and retention of autobiographical memories.