The self-memory system: Exploring developmental links between self and memory across early to late childhood.

Josephine Ross; Jacqui Hutchison; Sheila J. Cunningham

doi:10.1111/cdev.14163

The self-memory system: Exploring developmental links between self and memory across early to late childhood.

Josephine Ross^* (Corresponding Author), Jacqui Hutchison, Sheila J. Cunningham

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study tests whether developments in self-knowledge and autobiographical event memory across early to late childhood are related. Self-descriptions and autobiographical memory reports were collected from 379 3- to 11-year-old predominantly white Scottish children, Mage=90.3 months, SD=31.1, 54% female. Episodic memory was measured in an enactment task involving recall and source monitoring of self-performed and witnessed actions. The volume and complexity of self knowledge and autobiographical memory reports increased with age, as did source monitoring ability and recall bias for own actions. Regression analyses and structural equation modelling confirmed a predictive relationship between these developments. These results inform our theoretical understanding of the development of the self-memory system in childhood, which may contribute to the gradual offset of childhood amnesia.

Original language	English
Number of pages	17
Journal	Child Development
Early online date	9 Sept 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14163
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 9 Sept 2024

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant (2014-310) held jointly by Josephine Ross and Sheila J. Cunningham, and employing Jacqui Hutchison as a postdoctoral researcher. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Leverhulme trust and to the children and families who participated in this research, and to Ailsa Gow, Claudia Walker and Kathryn Flately who aided our data collection. Materials are available from the first author. The analyses presented here were not pre-registered. The analytic code is not publicly available due to the mode of analysis, but the data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are publicly accessible, at the following URL: https://osf.io/atgvs/

Data Availability Statement

Materials are available from the first author. The analyses presented here were not pre-registered. The analytic code is not publicly available due to the mode of analysis, but the data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are publicly accessible, at the following URL: https://osf.io/atgvs/.

Keywords

self
self-knowledge
autobiographical memory
self-memory system
childhood

Access to Document

10.1111/cdev.14163Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{5528a93527234ac9a9086af4ee07890a,

title = "The self-memory system: Exploring developmental links between self and memory across early to late childhood. ",

abstract = "This study tests whether developments in self-knowledge and autobiographical event memory across early to late childhood are related. Self-descriptions and autobiographical memory reports were collected from 379 3- to 11-year-old predominantly white Scottish children, Mage=90.3 months, SD=31.1, 54% female. Episodic memory was measured in an enactment task involving recall and source monitoring of self-performed and witnessed actions. The volume and complexity of self knowledge and autobiographical memory reports increased with age, as did source monitoring ability and recall bias for own actions. Regression analyses and structural equation modelling confirmed a predictive relationship between these developments. These results inform our theoretical understanding of the development of the self-memory system in childhood, which may contribute to the gradual offset of childhood amnesia.",

keywords = "self, self-knowledge, autobiographical memory, self-memory system, childhood",

author = "Josephine Ross and Jacqui Hutchison and Cunningham, {Sheila J.}",

note = "Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant (2014-310) held jointly by Josephine Ross and Sheila J. Cunningham, and employing Jacqui Hutchison as a postdoctoral researcher. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Leverhulme trust and to the children and families who participated in this research, and to Ailsa Gow, Claudia Walker and Kathryn Flately who aided our data collection. Materials are available from the first author. The analyses presented here were not pre-registered. The analytic code is not publicly available due to the mode of analysis, but the data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are publicly accessible, at the following URL: https://osf.io/atgvs/",

year = "2024",

month = sep,

day = "9",

doi = "10.1111/cdev.14163",

language = "English",

journal = "Child Development",

issn = "0009-3920",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The self-memory system

T2 - Exploring developmental links between self and memory across early to late childhood.

AU - Ross, Josephine

AU - Hutchison, Jacqui

AU - Cunningham, Sheila J.

N1 - Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant (2014-310) held jointly by Josephine Ross and Sheila J. Cunningham, and employing Jacqui Hutchison as a postdoctoral researcher. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Leverhulme trust and to the children and families who participated in this research, and to Ailsa Gow, Claudia Walker and Kathryn Flately who aided our data collection. Materials are available from the first author. The analyses presented here were not pre-registered. The analytic code is not publicly available due to the mode of analysis, but the data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are publicly accessible, at the following URL: https://osf.io/atgvs/

PY - 2024/9/9

Y1 - 2024/9/9

N2 - This study tests whether developments in self-knowledge and autobiographical event memory across early to late childhood are related. Self-descriptions and autobiographical memory reports were collected from 379 3- to 11-year-old predominantly white Scottish children, Mage=90.3 months, SD=31.1, 54% female. Episodic memory was measured in an enactment task involving recall and source monitoring of self-performed and witnessed actions. The volume and complexity of self knowledge and autobiographical memory reports increased with age, as did source monitoring ability and recall bias for own actions. Regression analyses and structural equation modelling confirmed a predictive relationship between these developments. These results inform our theoretical understanding of the development of the self-memory system in childhood, which may contribute to the gradual offset of childhood amnesia.

AB - This study tests whether developments in self-knowledge and autobiographical event memory across early to late childhood are related. Self-descriptions and autobiographical memory reports were collected from 379 3- to 11-year-old predominantly white Scottish children, Mage=90.3 months, SD=31.1, 54% female. Episodic memory was measured in an enactment task involving recall and source monitoring of self-performed and witnessed actions. The volume and complexity of self knowledge and autobiographical memory reports increased with age, as did source monitoring ability and recall bias for own actions. Regression analyses and structural equation modelling confirmed a predictive relationship between these developments. These results inform our theoretical understanding of the development of the self-memory system in childhood, which may contribute to the gradual offset of childhood amnesia.

KW - self

KW - self-knowledge

KW - autobiographical memory

KW - self-memory system

KW - childhood

U2 - 10.1111/cdev.14163

DO - 10.1111/cdev.14163

M3 - Article

SN - 0009-3920

JO - Child Development

JF - Child Development

ER -