Recalling Specific Autobiographical Memories Is Functional, but Not Uniquely Beneficial, for Generating Solutions to Open‐Ended Social Problems

ABSTRACT Although theorists have proposed that autobiographical memory directs behavior during problem solving, experimental evidence is lacking. Building on our previous experimental research, in this study we found that prompting people to recall a specific, related, success autobiographical memory significantly increased the number of solutions generated to open‐ended, social problems (MEPS task), but only for participants who scored lower (not higher) on the directive‐function subscale of the Thinking About Life Experiences Revised questionnaire (TALE‐R; Cohen's = 0.02). There was also no significant relationship between directive‐function scores and problem‐solving scores. Our findings suggest that autobiographical memory can be functional for generating multiple solutions to problems but is not the best or only strategy. We discuss the complexity of experimentally investigating memory function and encourage researchers to consider what, when, how and for who is autobiographical memory functional to solving one's problems.