Reminiscence Bump

First demonstrated by psychologist David Rubin, Wetzler, and Nebes in 1986, showing that adults over 40 have a disproportionate number of autobiographical memories from ages 10-30. Their 1986 paper combined reanalysis of prior work with new data, demonstrating this robust finding doesn't conform to standard monotonically decreasing retention functions. The bump provides a quantitative framework for studying reminiscence and nostalgia, making it a hallmark finding featured in introductory cognitive textbooks.