•
Individuals with ASD tend to have more fragmented memories of complex events because of a bias to process details specific to individual elements of those events (item‐specific processing) rather than how those elements relate to one another and to the wider context in which they are situated (relational processing).•
As a result of their bias for item‐specific rather than relational processing, individ- uals with ASD tend to find it more difficult to freely recall information than to identify previously seen information among new information on tests of recogni- tion. This is because relational information serves an organizing function in mem- ory that is particularly important for free recall, whereas item‐specific information serves a discriminating function that can aid recognition.•
It is important to appreciate, however, that individuals with ASD may also experience difficulties on tests of recognition memory, particularly when such tests require the identification of particular relational details or when recog- nition of single items might benefit from relational information pertaining to that item.References
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The Wiley Handbook of Memory, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the Law, First Edition.
Edited by Jonni L. Johnson, Gail S. Goodman, and Peter C. Mundy.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
2
Autobiographical memory is a form of memory intricately linked to the self, which requires integration of episodic, semantic, and procedural information (Marsh &
Roediger, 2013). It provides an individual with a means of replaying specific past self‐referential events in the mind’s eye (Conway & Pleydell‐Pierce, 2000; Cosentino, 2011). Forensically, it is of interest due to its importance in legal situations reliant on eyewitnesses to provide accounts of past events. Memory reports of events can make or break legal proceedings, and the veracity of memory reports is critical (Brainerd &
Reyna, 1990a). Yet, some populations are viewed as having unreliable memories, for example, children (Block et al., 2012). These views can negatively impact how players in the legal system (e.g., judges, jurors, attorneys) value testimony provided from these sources. This has motivated research on factors that influence autobiographical memory in specific subgroups, such as children and the elderly, two of the most vulnerable populations (Odegard, Cooper, Holliday, & Ceci, 2010a; Toglia, Ross, Pozzulo, & Pica, 2014).
Our focus is on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who represent a vulnerable population historically viewed as having impoverished memory function.
Empirical data suggest that some individuals with ASD struggle to remember person- ally experienced events (Boucher, 1981; Boucher & Lewis, 1989; Kaney et al., 1999;
Klein et al., 1999; Millward et al., 2000). However, the current literature on episodic memory in ASD is an amalgam of seemingly conflicting findings that do not clearly define which individuals will and will not have difficulty in this area (e.g., Crane, Lind,
& Bowler, 2013b; Millward et al., 2000). The confusion stems from both methodo- logical differences and heterogeneity of symptom profiles in the ASD community.
Autobiographical Memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder
through the Lens of Fuzzy Trace Theory
Haylie L. Miller, Timothy N. Odegard,
and Valerie Reyna
There is considerable need for a clearer understanding of factors that undergird mem- ory function in this population. This will, in turn, aid in identifying boundary condi- tions to better gauge the reliability of their memories.
Here, we attempt to unpack one specific domain of episodic memory—autobio- graphical memory. We present current evidence within a well‐established theoretical framework—Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT)—that may account for some of the perfor- mance differences observed in individuals with ASD (see also Reyna & Brainerd, 2011). FTT describes the developmental shift from reliance on verbatim representa- tions, or detailed encoding of information as it was presented, to gist representations, or broader encoding of the pattern of associated concepts related to the original input (Brainerd & Reyna, 1992; Reyna & Brainerd, 1991a, 1991b) and is supported by established process models (Bauer, Larkina, & Deocampo, 2011; Howe, 2011; Raj &
Bell, 2010; Schneider, 2011; Shing & Lindenberger, 2011).
Within the framework of Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT), there are three levels of pro- cessing at which autobiographical memory in ASD may break down: (a) encoding (was it stored), (b) availability (is it stored in a way that can be retrieved), and (c) retrieval (what cues are needed to access it). Two types of memory trace—verbatim and gist—support these processes. Verbatim‐based versus gist‐based influences on encoding, accessibility, and retrieval appear to be domain‐specific in ASD, rather than global. Therefore, it is more straightforward to examine these processes as they per- tain to each of the component skills required for autobiographical memory. In the following sections, we discuss the component skills required for autobiographical memory‐language and narrative construction, spatiotemporal binding and self‐pro- jection backward in time, self‐concept, and source‐monitoring—and the evidence of dysfunction in ASD as it relates to aspects of FTT.