Happy Birthday?: A Study of Present Emotional Status

on the Recall of a Childhood Memory of a College Population

Courtney L. Edgar, Leila Ellis-Nelson, & Meesha KawAdvisor: Mojisola F. Tiamiyu, Ph.D.

Psi Chi Chapter, University of Toledo

Abstract• This study investigated the relationship between current emotional status on

the recall of a specific childhood birthday memory. Research participants were forty-five male and ninety-nine female college students. Participants were given a survey consisting of demographic characteristic questions, statements to assess satisfaction with childhood and current satisfaction with life. Participants were also given one of two short scenarios (happy ending story or sad ending story) to read, followed by the written recall a specific birthday memory. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Although our hypotheses that emotional state and the childhood birthday memory recalled will be significantly related, and that gender and the childhood birthday memory recalled will be significantly related were not supported, in general, our participants showed a preference for responding with happy memories from childhood regardless of his/her current emotional state. The practical implication of our findings are also discussed.

Introduction

• Certain memories are affected by an individual’s current mood. Some studies have shown that the influence of mood on memory can be unconscious (Gillihan, Kessler, & Farah, 2007). Other studies have shown that current feelings of self-esteem have a major impact on the memory recalled. It has also been reported that people with higher self-esteem tend to remember more happy memories and events than those with lower self-esteem (Setliff & Marmurek, 2002).

Research Questions/Hypotheses• This study addressed the following research questions in a college population:• Research Question 1• Is there a relationship between an individual’s present emotional state (happy or

sad) and the childhood birthday memory (happy or sad) the individual recalls?• Research Question 2• Is there a relationship between an individual’s gender and the childhood birthday

memory (happy or sad) the individual recalls?

• We therefore tested the following research hypotheses:• Hypothesis 1• There will be a significant relationship between emotional state and childhood

birthday memory recalled.• Hypothesis 2• There will be a significant relationship between gender and childhood birthday

memory recalled.

Methods

• Participants: Participants were college students 18 years and older, who were mostly women (69%). Of the participants who provided information about their ethnicity, the majority were European American (65%). Participants were freshmen (23.6%); sophomores (16.7%); juniors (21.5%); seniors (20.8%); those in their fifth year (6.9%); graduate students (6.9%); and students who did not provide information about their educational level (3.4%). Participants who received the questionnaire with the happy ending story were 52% of the population and those that received the sad ending story were 48% of the population.

Methods• Instrument:

A questionnaire was designed specifically for this study. It consisted of items pertaining to some demographic characteristics of the research participants. In addition, there were questions about participants’ childhood memories/experiences and about his/her current life satisfaction. Participants were to respond to these questions on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5), and this information was used to establish the current emotional status of participants. The questionnaire also consisted of a short story in which a childhood birthday scenario was depicted. In this story, the child, named “Alex,” either received or did not receive the exact toy that was desired as a birthday present at a birthday party (i.e., happy ending story or sad ending story). The final question asked participants to write a birthday memory from his/her own childhood.

Methods• Procedure:

Administration of the questionnaire was conducted one-on-one in person at various locations on the University of Toledo’s main campus, primarily the Student Union building. Questionnaires were randomly distributed by the researchers in order to obtain information from a random sample of participants for data analysis. Each participant completed nearly the same questionnaire except some participants read a childhood birthday scenario with the happy ending story and others read a childhood birthday scenario with the sad ending story. Upon reading one of the two childhood birthday scenarios, the participant was asked to write a birthday memory from his/her own childhood. A short debrief followed the completion of the questionnaire. This included asking the participant a few classification style questions, such as “Did a friend or classmate tell you anything specific about this study?” followed by an explanation of the true nature of the study.

Results

• The recalled childhood memories provided by the participants were coded by three researchers with inter-rater reliability equal to .91. Researchers used a rating scale of 0-3: neutral memory (0), happy memory (1), sad memory (2), and mixed memory-a memory which had both happy and sad elements (3).

Results

Neutral Memory

Happy Memory

Sad Memory

Mixed Memory

TOTAL

Happy Ending Story

11 52 6 5 74

Sad Ending Story

13 42 10 5 70

TOTAL 24 94 16 10 144

Table 1: Memory Recalled By Emotional Status

Results

Neutral Memory

Happy Memory

Sad Memory

Mixed Memory

TOTAL

Male 9 25 6 5 45

Female 15 69 10 5 99

TOTAL 24 94 16 10 144

Table 2: Memory Recalled by Gender

Results

• Both descriptive (frequencies) and inferential (Chi-square Test of Independence) statistical methods were used to analyze our data. Below are graphs depicting the number of participants and the extent to which they endorsed statements related to his/her childhood memories/experiences and his/her current level life satisfaction.

Results

1 2 3 4 50

102030405060

I consider my childhood to consist of happy memories/experiences

Rating Scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

Resp

onde

nts

Results

1 2 3 4 50

10203040506070

My childhood is memorable

Rating Scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

Resp

onde

nts

Results

1 2 3 4 50

10

20

30

40

50

60

I am satisfied with my childhood

Rating Scale(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

Resp

onde

nts

Results

1 2 3 4 50

1020304050607080

I am satisified with my life up to this point

Rating Scale(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

Resp

onde

nts

Results

• Our first hypothesis, which states that there will be a significant relationship between emotional state and childhood birthday memory recalled, was tested using an inferential statistical method, the Chi-square Test of Independence. This hypothesis was not supported (2 = 2.12, P >.05).

• Our second hypothesis, which states that there will be a significant relationship between gender and childhood birthday memory recalled, was tested using an inferential statistical method, the Chi-square Test of Independence. This hypothesis was not supported (2 = 3.31, P >.05).

Discussion• The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between present emotional status

and the recall of specific childhood birthday memory in a college population. We hypothesized that there will be a significant relationship between emotional status and childhood birthday memory recalled, and that there will be a significant relationship between gender and childhood birthday memory recalled. These hypotheses were not supported according to our statistical analysis. Thus, our results did not support the findings of studies conducted by Bower & Forgas (2001), Gillihan, Kessler, & Farah (2007), and Setliff & Marmurek (2002). This may be due to the use of different research designs and/or the focus on different types of memory recalled.

• Our findings; however, indicate a preference among our participants to recall happy memories from childhood even when given the sad ending scenario. This may be influenced by the fact that it was a birthday memory that was being asked to be recalled. Perhaps people have happier memories when it refers to birthdays. Had the scenario been more general, it may have yielded different results.

• We also found that some of our research participants responded with neutral memories, meaning that these memories did not include an emotional connection, but were rather facts stated by participants, regardless of the scenario read (i.e., happy or sad ending story).

Limitations

• This study has some methodological shortcomings, so caution must be taken in generalizing these findings. Our study used college students, primarily those between18 and 22 years of age. This data was obtained using a self report measure that was designed specifically for our study (i.e., we did not use standardized instruments). Also, it is possible that our participants provided socially desirable responses (e.g., most of them recalled happy childhood birthday memories) as obtained by our instrument. Future researchers need to address these and other possible limitations of our study.

Practical Applications

• Although our hypotheses were not supported, some of the findings of this study may provide practical applications to the field of psychology and to other healthcare-related fields. By finding that in general most of our participants recalled happy childhood birthday memories and that more women compared to men recalled happy birthday memories irrespective of their emotional states, healthcare practitioners may try to elicit such memories when working with clients to overcome clients’ challenges and/or to improve their quality of life.

References• Bower, G. H., & Forgas, J. P. (2001). Memory and social memory. In J. • Forgas (Ed.) Handbook of Affect and Social Cognition. Mahwah,

NJ: • Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. pp. 95-120. • Gillihan, S. J., Kessler, J., & Farah, M. J. (2007). Memories affect mood:• Evidence from covert experimental assignment to positive,

neutral, and• negative memory recall. Acta Psychologica, 125, 144-154. • Setliff, A. E, & Marmurek, H. H. C. (2002). The mood regulatory

function of autobiographical recall is moderated by self-esteem. Personality and individual Differences, 32, 761-771.

Special Thanks

• Special thanks to: the University of Toledo, the University of Toledo Department of Psychology, and the University of Toledo Health Science Campus Diabetes, Bone, and Cancer researchers for their support.