Autobiographical Memory Development: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches

223 Pages·2020·3.473 MB·English

by  Sami Gülgöz (editor), Basak Sahin-Acar (editor)

What a feast! This collected volume is full of fascinating ideas and new
findings about the development of autobiographical memory. It covers
diverse topics ranging from neurological mechanisms to sociocultural
influences, from how young children learn to tell personal stories to how
adults recollect childhood experiences, and from the purposes and func­
tions of memory to the errors and pitfalls of remembering. It provides
in abundance theoretical insights and methodological strategies. The
collective work demonstrates that the development of autobiographical
memory is a process of cognitive achievement and sociocultural scaffold­
ing. I recommend this book to all students of memory.
—Qi Wang, Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Human Development,
Cornell University;Author of The Autobiographical Self in
Time and Culture
I was excited to see a compendium of diverse views with the lead­
ing figures who study the developmental psychology of autobiograph­
ical memory.The list of senior chapter authors is extremely impressive,
including Professors Bauer, Bluck, Bohn, De la Manta-Benitez, Fivush,
Grysman, Gülgöz, Haden, Krojgaard, Leichtman, Peterson, Pillemer, and
Şahin-Acar. The chapters are authoritative and well written, providing
excellent summaries, while often challenging existing views. Highly
suitable for researchers, advanced undergraduate and graduate students,
and for courses in development and autobiographical memory.
—David Rubin, Ph.D., Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor
of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University;
Author of Memory in Oral Traditions
This book delves into autobiographical memory development from mul­
tiple angles and with an international perspective.The reviews are readable,
concise, and contain the latest findings on the social, cultural, cognitive,
linguistic, historical, and biological influences on autobiographical mem­
ories. My recommendation is for researchers and students of memory
development to read this book from cover to cover.You will come away
with new insights and a deeper appreciation of the complexity of human
memory and its development.
—Elaine Reese, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Otago;
Author of Tell Me a Story: Sharing Stories To Enrich Your Child's World
This book describes recent advances and novel perspectives in the pros­
pering field of autobiographical memory development. It provides a
unique and timely overview of a range of approaches and theoretical
views, including in-depth discussions of the role of parent-child con­
versation, the neural basis of autobiographical memory development,
the use of non-verbal and narrative methods for assessing children’s
memories, the characteristics and functions of early memories as well as
memory in the context of education, culture and trauma.This multifac­
eted fusion of chapters is an excellent resource for both specialists and
novices in the field.
—Dorthe Berntsen, Ph.D., Professor at the Department of Psychology
and Behavioural Science & Head of the Center on Autobiographic
Memory Research (CON AMORE),Aarhus University
This astounding collection of innovative contributions invites readers
to enter the thriving world of ideas and findings of how we learn to
remember when growing up. Renowned researchers from Europe and
the US explore the social and cultural dynamics of learning how to
remember. Rich examples illustrate the central developmental mecha­
nism of shared reminiscing of children and their parents. This path-
breaking volume is a must-read for scholars and lay-persons interested in
the development of remembering.
—Tilmann Habermas, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Goethe
University Frankfurt;Author of Emotion and Narrative:
Perspectives in Autobiographical Storytelling
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
MEMORY DEVELOPMENT
Autobiographical memory is constituted from the integration of several memory
skills, as well as the ability to narrate.This all helps in understanding our relation to
self, family contexts, culture, brain development, and traumatic experiences.The
present volume discusses contemporary approaches to childhood memories and
examines cutting-edge research on the development of autobiographical memory.
The chapters in this book written by a group of leading authors, each make a
unique contribution by describing a specific developmental domain. In providing
a multinational and multicultural perspective on autobiographical memory
development – and by covering a variety of theoretical and methodological
approaches, this state-of-the-art book is essential reading on the autobiographi­
cal memory system for memory researchers and graduate students. It is also of
interest to scholars and students working more broadly in the fields of cogni­
tive, developmental, and social psychology, and to academics who are conducting
interdisciplinary research on neuroscience, family relationships, narrative methods,
culture, and oral history.
Volume editors:

Sami Gülgöz is Professor of Psychology at Koç University in Istanbul. His

current research focuses on memory in applied contexts and particularly on

autobiographical memory in relation to social and individual characteristics.

Basak Sahin-Acar is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Middle East Technical
University. She is also affiliated with the interdisciplinary program of Gender
and Women’s Studies. Her research interests include autobiographical memory
development within and across cultures, as well as the effects of self-construals and
familial context on this development.
Current Issues in Memory
Current Issues in Memory is a series of edited books that reflect the state of art in
areas of current and emerging interest in the psychological study of memory.
Each of the volumes in the series are tightly focused on a particular topic and are
designed to be concise collections containing chapters contributed by interna­
tional experts.
The editors of individual volumes are leading figures in their areas and provide
an introductory overview. Example topics include: binding in working memory,
prospective memory, autobiographical memory, visual memory, implicit memory,
amnesia, retrieval, and memory development.
Other titles in this series:
Working Memory and Ageing
Edited by Robert H. Logie and Robin G. Morris
Forgetting
Edited by Sergio Della Sala
Current Issues in Applied Memory Research
Edited by Graham M. Davies and Daniel B.Wright
Spatial Working Memory
Edited by André Vandierendonck and Arnaud Szmalec
Autobiographical Memory Development
Theoretical and Methodological Approaches
Edited by Sami Gülgöz and Basak Sahin-Acar
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
MEMORY DEVELOPMENT
Theoretical and Methodological
Approaches
Edited by Sami Gülgöz and
Basak Sahin-Acar
First published 2020
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Taylor & Francis
The right of Sami Gülgöz & Basak Sahin-Acar to be identified as the
authors of the editorial matter, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-07785-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-07788-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-02279-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
CONTENTS

Contributors ix
Introduction 1
1 The emergence of autobiographical consciousness
and the construction of an autobiographical self 6
Robyn Fivush
2 Socialization of early autobiographical memory 22
Catherine A. Haden and PirkoTõugu
3 Brain bases of autobiographical memory
in development 37
Patricia J. Bauer
4 Is the eye the mirror of the soul? Exploring
autobiographical memory development by means
of looking-time measures 50
Peter Krøjgaard,Trine Sonne and Osman S. Kingo
5 Narrative methods in autobiographical memory 67
Azriel Grysman and Cade D. Mansfield
viii Contents
6 Developing a view of autobiographical memories
and self-construal as socially, culturally and historically
constructed: a theoretical and empirical approach 83
Manuel L. de la Mata-Benitez,Andres Santamaría,
Mercedes Cubero, Radka Antalikova,Tia Gitte Bondesen Hansen
and Samuel Arias
7 Content and consistency of earliest memories 97
Berivan Ece and Sami Gülgöz
8 Autobiographical memory development
and self-construals within and across cultures 110
Basak Sahin-Acar and Michelle D. Leichtman
9 Remembering earliest childhood memories 119
Carole Peterson
10 How did you feel back then? Emotional memory
conversations among mother–father–child triads 136
Elif Bürümlü-Kisa and Basak Sahin-Acar
11 Adults’ memories of childhood: the beginning
of the life story 148
Majse Lind, Susan Bluck and Hanna Åkerlund
12 The development of children’s autobiographical
memory for learning episodes 161
Michelle D. Leichtman, Rhyannon H. Bemis,
Kaitlin A. Camilleri and David B. Pillemer
13 PTSD in youth from a developmental perspective 175
Inge Lise Lundsgaard Kongshøj and Annette Bohn
14 Final discussion and looking forward 192
Basak Sahin-Acar and Sami Gülgöz
Index 202
CONTRIBUTORS

Andres Santamaría
University of Seville
Annette Bohn
Aarhus University
Azriel Grysman
Dickinson College
Basak Sahin-Acar
Middle East Technical University
Berivan Ece
Koç University
Cade D. Mansfield
Weber State University
Carole Peterson
Memorial University Newfoundland and Labrador’s University
Catherine A. Haden
Loyola University Chicago
David B. Pillemer
University of New Hampshire