The relationship between eye movements and autobiographical recollection is mediated by individual differences in autobiographical capacity

The precise role of visual mechanisms in recollection of personal past events is unknown. The present study addresses this question from the oculomotor perspective. Participants freely recalled past episodes while viewing a blank screen under free and fixed viewing conditions. Memory performance was quantified with the Autobiographical Interview, which separates internal (episodic) and external (non-episodic) details. In Study 1, fixation rate was predictive of the number of internal (but not external) details recalled across both free and fixed viewing. In Study 2, using an experimenter-controlled staged event, we again observed the effect of fixations on free recall of internal (but not external) details, but this was modulated by individual differences in AM, such that the coupling between fixations and internal details was greater for those endorsing higher than lower episodic AM. These results suggest that eye movements promote richness in autobiographical recall, particularly for those with strong AM.