Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Memories Between Us: Autobiographical Memory Sharing with Friends and Strangers

Jalk Carlé, Simone Mikaela LU (2026) PSYP01 20261
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Autobiographical remembering is reconstructive and frequently occurs in social
interaction, yet it remains unclear whether the relationship between narrator and
listener shapes how memories are expressed and subsequently remembered.
This study examined autobiographical memory sharing with friends versus
strangers and evaluated the use of a large language model (GPT-5.5) for coding
narrative data. Fifty-six adults (28 narrators, 28 listeners) participated in a
repeated-measures memory-sharing paradigm involving both relationship
conditions. Narrators shared positive autobiographical memories, with a nonshared memory serving as a baseline for pre-post comparisons. Narratives were
coded for episodic richness and self-event connections... (More)
Autobiographical remembering is reconstructive and frequently occurs in social
interaction, yet it remains unclear whether the relationship between narrator and
listener shapes how memories are expressed and subsequently remembered.
This study examined autobiographical memory sharing with friends versus
strangers and evaluated the use of a large language model (GPT-5.5) for coding
narrative data. Fifty-six adults (28 narrators, 28 listeners) participated in a
repeated-measures memory-sharing paradigm involving both relationship
conditions. Narrators shared positive autobiographical memories, with a nonshared memory serving as a baseline for pre-post comparisons. Narratives were
coded for episodic richness and self-event connections (SECs), and listeners
later recalled the memories they had heard. Relationship condition did not
significantly affect episodic richness during narration, pre-post change, or
listener recall. Pre-post change in SECs likewise did not differ across friend,
stranger, and baseline conditions. During narration, narrators produced more
SECs when speaking to strangers than friends, although this effect was no longer
significant after accounting for pre-session SECs and should therefore be
interpreted cautiously. GPT coding showed framework-dependent performance,
with stronger reliability and human agreement for total episodic richness than
for some other coding frameworks. Overall, the findings provide little evidence
that a single socially situated recall produces broad or persistent changes in
autobiographical memory, while suggesting that relationship context may
selectively influence self-related framing. LLM-based narrative coding showed
promise but requires framework-specific validation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Jalk Carlé, Simone Mikaela LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Autobiographical memory, memory sharing, reconstructive memory, interpersonal relationships, large language models.
language
English
id
9250836
date added to LUP
2026-09-11 14:21:08
date last changed
2026-09-11 14:21:08
@misc{9250836,
  abstract     = {{Autobiographical remembering is reconstructive and frequently occurs in social
interaction, yet it remains unclear whether the relationship between narrator and
listener shapes how memories are expressed and subsequently remembered.
This study examined autobiographical memory sharing with friends versus
strangers and evaluated the use of a large language model (GPT-5.5) for coding
narrative data. Fifty-six adults (28 narrators, 28 listeners) participated in a
repeated-measures memory-sharing paradigm involving both relationship
conditions. Narrators shared positive autobiographical memories, with a nonshared memory serving as a baseline for pre-post comparisons. Narratives were
coded for episodic richness and self-event connections (SECs), and listeners
later recalled the memories they had heard. Relationship condition did not
significantly affect episodic richness during narration, pre-post change, or
listener recall. Pre-post change in SECs likewise did not differ across friend,
stranger, and baseline conditions. During narration, narrators produced more
SECs when speaking to strangers than friends, although this effect was no longer
significant after accounting for pre-session SECs and should therefore be
interpreted cautiously. GPT coding showed framework-dependent performance,
with stronger reliability and human agreement for total episodic richness than
for some other coding frameworks. Overall, the findings provide little evidence
that a single socially situated recall produces broad or persistent changes in
autobiographical memory, while suggesting that relationship context may
selectively influence self-related framing. LLM-based narrative coding showed
promise but requires framework-specific validation.}},
  author       = {{Jalk Carlé, Simone Mikaela}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Memories Between Us: Autobiographical Memory Sharing with Friends and Strangers}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}