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Remembering from any angle: the flexibility of visual perspective during retrieval
Heather J Rice1, David C Rubin
1Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States. hrice@wustl.edu
Consciousness and Cognition
|November 27, 2010
Summary
Recalling autobiographical memories can involve first-person or third-person visual perspectives. A new study reveals that the external vantage point in third-person memories varies spatially and is linked to the specific event recalled.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Memory
- Human Visual Perception
Background:
- Autobiographical memory recall often involves visual imagery.
- These memories can be retrieved from a first-person (experiential) or third-person (external) viewpoint.
- The spatial characteristics of third-person viewpoints are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial location of the external vantage point in third-person autobiographical memories.
- To explore the relationship between the recalled event and the spatial position of the third-person perspective.
Main Methods:
- Participants recalled 10 or 15 autobiographical events.
- A novel technique was employed to measure the visual perspective of recalled memories.
- Subjects described the spatial location of their experienced third-person viewpoints.
Main Results:
- Significant variation in the spatial locations of third-person vantage points was observed.
- The specific spatial location of the external viewpoint was found to be related to the content of the recalled event.
- Remembering events from an external viewpoint may be more prevalent than previously thought.
Conclusions:
- The spatial positioning of external viewpoints in memory is dynamic and event-dependent.
- Autobiographical memory research should consider the nuanced spatial nature of third-person perspectives.
- Findings suggest a potentially higher frequency of third-person recall than previously established.
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