This study Investigated the effects of present emotional status of college student participants and his/her recall of a childhood birthday memory upon reading a short story (either happy ending or sad ending). This study was presented via poster presentation on April 30, 2009 at the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) in Chicago, IL.

1. 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 Kaw
Advisor: Mojisola F. Tiamiyu, Ph.D.
Psi Chi Chapter, University of Toledo

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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).

9. Results
Table 1: Memory Recalled By Emotional Status
Neutral Happy Sad Mixed TOTAL
Memory Memory Memory Memory
Happy 11 52 6 5 74
Ending Story
Sad Ending 13 42 10 5 70
Story
TOTAL 24 94 16 10 144

10. Results
Table 2: Memory Recalled by Gender
Neutral Happy Sad Mixed TOTAL
Memory Memory Memory Memory
Male 9 25 6 5 45
Female 15 69 10 5 99
TOTAL 24 94 16 10 144

11. 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.

12. Results
I consider my childhood to consist of
happy memories/experiences
60
Respondents
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5
Rating Scale
(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

13. Results
My childhood is memorable
70
60
Respondents
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5
Rating Scale
(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

14. Results
I am satisfied with my childhood
60
Respondents
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5
Rating Scale
(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

15. Results
I am satisified with my life up to this
point
80
Respondents
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5
Rating Scale
(1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree)

16. 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).

17. 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).

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.