Autobiographical Memory, Narrative Skills, Self Processes, and Individual Differences: Experimental, Clinical, and Forensic Implications

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Background

The ability to recall autobiographical memories involves an integrated interplay between multiple cognitive functions and emotional processes, both in the coding and in the retrieval phase, also with the involvement of other competence in processing information and details within a specific personal event. Several factors can influence the accuracy of the memory traces and may distort their original contents, such as in presence of emotional disturbances or post-traumatic stress disorder. Understanding the mechanisms underlying autobiographical memory in children and adults can have an important impact in different applicative contexts, such as clinical and forensic applications. In fact, the ability to reconstruct personal memories is involved in the construction of the self and it's fundamental in reconstructive processes of personal events in psychotherapy. Moreover, it is central in forensic contexts while evaluating the testimony of personal events and their accuracy and resistance with respect to distortion factors such as confabulations or post-event information.

The goal of this research topic is to provide an overview of the most recent high-quality research that detects the main cognitive processes and socio-emotional factors that affect autobiographical memory, narrative skills, and self-processes.
Studies conducted in experimental, clinical, or forensic contexts will be collected and aimed at both children and adults participants who will highlight which factors favor the encoding, conservation, and recall of autobiographical memories both in the face of events of daily life and in the face of events of particular relevance, such as accidents, crimes, diseases, etc.
The Topic also involves studies conducted with particular patients suffering from diseases or deficits that affect cognitive, emotional and expressive abilities. Also including from forensic contexts, witnesses or victims, by analyzing not only the ability to recall what was experienced but also if aspects of confabulation and suggestion.

Recent studies have highlighted the constant involvement of executive functions in coding, recalling, integration, and control of the various cognitive and emotional processes involved. Other studies have shown how source monitoring capacity, trust in memory, and narrative skills seem to reduce the risk of distorting and confabulatory alterations and to yield to suggestibility factors.

We welcome original studies, methodological papers, systematic reviews, reviews, or mini-reviews, theoretical works, brief research reports, general commentaries, and perspective papers on the following research topic:
- Relationship between Autobiographical memory, suggestibility, and narrative skills
- Psychopathology and impact on autobiographical competence in clinical and forensic applications
- Cognitive, social, and emotional factors that affect autobiographical memory in eyewitnesses and people in everyday life
- Post-event information and distortion in autobiographical memory
- Autobiographical Memory and the Self-Concept
- Narrative Abilities and Autobiographical Memory in Children and adults
- Vulnerable population in narrative autobiographical competence
- Measurement of autobiographical memory, psychometric properties of tests in young and older populations

While studies addressing the topic themes are strongly encouraged, contributors may also consider other approaches or topics not specifically mentioned.

Keywords: Autobiographical memory, self processes, suggestibility, narrative skills, Cognition, Forensic, Clinical

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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