Cultural Pathways and Outcomes of Autobiographical Memory Development

AbstractThe development of autobiographical memory is a culturally constructive process in which children learn to remember and share their personal experiences in culture-specific ways. In this article, I present a theoretical model that situates children ’s independent recall and joint reminiscing with parents in the cultural context. Built on cross-cultural research, the model specifies various pathways—self-goals, language, emotion knowledge, and perceptual styles—through which culture shapes autobiographical memory development. The model al so demonstrates the role of culture in moderating the psychosocial outcomes of remembering, so the content, form, and stance of memory serve functions specific to the cultural ecology. I conclude that the development of autobiographical memory occurs in response to children’s diverse cultural expe riences, and outline directions for research.
Source: Child Development Perspectives - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research