Early memories in young adults from separated and non-separated families

Abstract

Two studies investigated the earliest memories of New Zealand European young adults (N = 80, Study 1 and N = 120, Study 2) from separated and non-separated families. Participants' earliest memories were assessed for age, for density (how far apart the memories were, Study 2) and for narrative coherence of the memories. Questionnaires were designed to investigate the role of changes in family structure, for example, in the number of adults in the participants' households and the timing of the parental separation. Study 2 further investigated stress and painful divorce-related feelings as additional variables in adjustment after divorce. No overall differences in age of earliest memory emerged between young adults from separated and non-separated parents. Within the group from separated parents, however, memories were earlier when parents separated early in the child's life (<age 7), which related to having extended family ties and more coherent memory narratives from early childhood (Study 2). Participants from separated families reported earlier but sparser memories when they reported higher levels of stress and painful feelings about the separation. The development of early autobiographical memories and the offset of childhood amnesia are discussed via transition and social interaction theories of autobiographical memory.

Using a Developmental Ecology Framework to Align Fear Neurobiology Across Species

“…Nevertheless, greater involvement of the HPC in threat learning in ECA-exposed youths is consistent with the idea that HPC-mediated behaviors (such as context learning) might show accelerated development following stress. One study that seems to support this idea has shown that autobiographical memories, a hippocampaldependent phenomenon, emerge earlier in life following parental divorce (Artioli & Reese 2014). However, that study relied on retrospective reports of autobiographical memories, which are not always reliable, and was not examining the fear system per se.…”

Benchmarking the past: Children's early memories and maternal reminiscing as a function of family structure.

“…The separation per se could be used as a signpost to identify early personal memories. Moreover, children from early-separated families are more likely to grow up in extended-family settings, with a greater number of adults in the child-rearing environment (e.g., grandparents and step-parents), compared to children from later-separated families, who are more likely to grow up in sole-parent families (Artioli & Reese, 2013). Early parental separation could serve as a benchmark for early memories and could simultaneously increase the richness of the early reminiscing environment through the addition of new adults to the household, both of which would serve to lower the offset of childhood amnesia (cf.…”

Current Theories On Early Childhood Memories – A Systematic Review Of The Literature

“…Early childhood amnesia is considered by some researchers as a universal phenomenon (Freud, 2014;Rubin, 2006;Tustin & Hayne, 2010) and seems to identify with a limited number of autobiographical memories, starting with the first years of life (Bauer & Larkina, 2013;Bauer, Tasdemir-Ozdes, & Larkina, 2014). Young adults who have lived a painful separation experience of their parents before the age of 7 have earlier autobiographical memories as compared to young adults whose parents separated later or were not separated at all (Artioli & Reese, 2014). Those individuals who were raised in families having many members appear to have memories with small time-windows between them (Artioli et al, 2012;Artioli & Reese, 2014).…”

“…Young adults who have lived a painful separation experience of their parents before the age of 7 have earlier autobiographical memories as compared to young adults whose parents separated later or were not separated at all (Artioli & Reese, 2014). Those individuals who were raised in families having many members appear to have memories with small time-windows between them (Artioli et al, 2012;Artioli & Reese, 2014).…”

“…The theory of transition memory stipulates that autobiographical memories are organized around major transitions in life (the end of a life phase, anticipation of another life phase), which might activate the recall of ECM at consciousness level (Brown, Schweickart, & Svob, 2016;Svob & Brown, 2012;Artioli & Reese, 2014). The capacity to store autobiographical memories appears to be developed during early childhood partly under the influence of linguistic abilities, self-awareness, social and cultural interactions (Nelson & Fivush, 2004) and it is not complete until teenage years, until the narrative function is acquired (Crane et al, 2014).…”