Table 2.
Characteristics of neutral and positive memories
| Neutral (N = 188) | Positive (N = 188) | Valence test | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M/N(std. res) | SD/% | M/N(std. res) | SD/% | ||
| Pleasurableness (emotional intensity [−10–10]) | 0.60 | 1.77 | 8.69 | 1.87 | χ 2 (1) = 913.42, p < .001 |
| Vividness (1–4) | 3.03 | 0.80 | 3.51 | 0.80 | χ 2 (1) = 54.03, p < .001 |
| Focus (1–4) | 3.14 | 0.82 | 3.51 | 0.78 | χ 2 (1) = 34.00, p < .001 |
| Word count | 56.74 | 15.31 | 64.10 | 16.37 | χ 2 (1) = 33.88, p < .001 |
| Remoteness (in months)a | 1.27 | 41.26 | 52.56 | 89.51 | χ 2 (1) = 72.25, p < .001 |
| Specificity | χ 2 (2) = 15.36, p < .001 | ||||
| Specific | 176 (1.5) | 93.6% | 168 (−1.5) | 89.4% | |
| Categoric | 9 (2.1) | 4.8% | 2 (−2.1) | 1.1% | |
| Extended | 3 (−3.4) | 1.6% | 18 (3.4) | 9.6% | |
| Event | χ 2 (4) = 107.35, p < .001 | ||||
| Major life event | 0 (−5.1) | 0.0% | 24 (5.1) | 12.8% | |
| Minor life event | 6 (−8.0) | 3.2% | 67 (8.0) | 35.6% | |
| Activities | 176 (10.0) | 93.6% | 87 (−10.0) | 46.3% | |
| Pets | 4 (−1.4) | 2.1% | 9 (1.4) | 4.8% | |
| Other | 2 (0.6) | 1.1% | 1 (−0.6) | 0.5% | |
| Context | χ 2 (5) = 98.68, p < .001 | ||||
| Alone | 101 (8.1) | 53.7% | 27 (−8.1) | 14.4% | |
| Romantic partner | 5 (−2.8) | 2.7% | 18 (2.8) | 9.6% | |
| Family/friends | 26 (−7.0) | 13.8% | 88 (7.0) | 46.8% | |
| Colleagues/acquaintances/(fellow)pupils/team members | 26 (−0.30) | 13.8% | 28 (0.30) | 14.9% | |
| Stranger | 24 (3.0) | 12.8% | 8 (−3.0) | 4.3% | |
| Other(s) present but relation unknown to raters | 6 (−2.7) | 3.2% | 19 (2.7) | 10.1% | |
a
Remoteness was missing for four participants.