Similarity Impacts Where Repeated Events Fall on the Semantic-Episodic Continuum

Memory researchers have recently conceptualized repeated events as an intermediate form of memory between episodic and semantic memory. We explored whether self-reported event similarity affects where repeated events fall on a semantic-episodic continuum. Across two preregistered studies, repeated measures correlation indicated that similarity was positively correlated with self-reported reliance on semantic memory. Similarity was negatively correlated with reliance on a single episode. Latent profile analysis revealed three types of repeated event memories that differed in their relative use of semantic, single episode, and mixed episodes reliance. One profile was distinctively low on single episode reliance, while the other two had overall balanced ratings (one was high, the other was low). Subsequent analyses revealed the first profile was significantly higher in similarity of place than the other profiles. Our findings have implications for theoretical perspectives on repeated event memory, and have practical significance in legal and clinical contexts.