Forgetting the Unforgettable Through Conversation

Socially Shared Retrieval-Induced Forgetting of September 11 Memories

Bibliographic Data

ID5779438
AuthorsAlin Coman (0000-0002-1888-302X, New School for Social Research, The New School), David Manier (Lehman College, City University of New York), William Hirst (0000-0002-8506-6492, New School for Social Research, The New School)
Year2009
Volume20
Issue5
Pages627-633
Publication date2009-04-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-7976 • E-ISSN: 1467-9280
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02343.x
PMID19476592
OpenAlexW2097634910
LanguageEN
Citations received26
References cited34

A speaker's selective recounting of memories shared with a listener will induce both the speaker and the listener to forget unmentioned, related material more than unmentioned, unrelated material. We extended this finding of within-individual and socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting to well-rehearsed, emotionally intense memories that are similar for the speaker and listener, but differ in specifics. A questionnaire probed participants' memory of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Questions and responses were grouped into category-exemplar structures. Then, participants selectively rehearsed their answers (using a structured interview in Experiment 1 and a joint recounting between pairs in Experiment 2 ). In subsequent recognition tests, response times yielded evidence of within-individual retrieval-induced forgetting and socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting. This result indicates that conversations can alter memories of speakers and listeners in similar ways, even when the memories differ. We discuss socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting as a mechanism for the formation of collective memories

Motivated forgetting · Retrieval-induced forgetting · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Memory Processes and Influences · Speech and dialogue systems