Research Seminar: Visiting Speaker Amy Woy (University of Westminster)

*** Everyone Welcome! No need to book in advance***

Date: Thursday 27^th April 
Time: 12:00-13:00 

Room: College Building C133

Which songs would you take to a desert island? A naturalistic investigation of music and memory. 

Amy Woy (University of Westminster)

Abstract: 
Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 program that invites well-known guests to select eight recordings they would take with them if stranded alone on a desert island. 65 interviews were transcribed with guests from a broad range of professions and ages. Where possible age period was recorded as well as genre, and popularity of the music selected, and reason for the choice. Overall, results demonstrated the presence of a reminiscence bump, although individuals from some professions were less likely to conform to this typical pattern. In line with other research, music was strongly linked to autobiographical remembering but with a bias towards songs that would trigger memories of people. Implications regarding the relevance for reminiscence therapy are discussed. 

Biography:
Amy is a (second year) doctoral researcher at the University of Westminster, where she graduated with First Class Honours in BSc Cognitive Neuroscience in 2014. Her dissertation, with Dr. Catherine Loveday, assessed the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs, where she investigated music and autobiographical memory in a more naturalistic setting. The findings were first presented at the 6th International Conference on Memory in Budapest in July 2016. Her current project focuses on the use of multi-sensory stimuli such as music, objects, and photographs, to evoke autobiographical memories in people with varying degrees of memory impairment. Amy aims to contribute to the understanding of autobiographical memory structure, and identify a more tailored and effective approach for non-drug therapies.