elaboration on incidental memory of Kanji words. In Experiment I, subjects in Obiect rating group were presented each word and were asked to rate how long it had been since their last visual contact with the object named by it, whereas those in Kanji rating were to rate the word itself on temporal-category scale. Free recall performances in both groups showed the recency effect which was an inverse function of temporal category. In Experiment II, subjects were asked to rate the quantity of personal experiences each word reminding them of. Recall performance showed a linear function of quantativecategory. Subjects were instructed to rate the pleasantness (in Experiment III) and the vividness (in Experiment IV) of personal experiences that each word reminded them of Recall performance varied as afunction of pleasantness and vividness rated by subjects. The above results (Experiment II, III and IV) showed that the quantity and the quality of personal experiences determined the effectiveness of autobiographical elaboration.