Ethnic group differences in autobiographical memory characteristics: Values as a mediator or moderator?

Abstract

Individual-level values play a role in cultural group differences in autobiographical memory. The current study (N = 192) used a Caribbean sample to examine whether individual-level values (self-transcendence, self-enhancement, conservation) were a mediator or moderator of ethnic group differences (Afro-, Indo-, and Mixed-Trinidadian) in the characteristics (emotional intensity, vividness, thinking and talking about the memory) of positive autobiographical memories. Values were not a mediator, but were a moderator. At high levels of conservation or self-transcendence values, Indo-Trinidadians had autobiographical memories that were more emotionally intense, vivid, and thought and talked about compared to Afro-Trinidadians. Mixed-Trinidadians had autobiographical memories that were more emotionally intense than the other ethnic groups, in general, and more often talked about when self-enhancement values were low. The discussion proposes that the alignment of individual-level values with cultural-group expectations matters for autobiographical remembering, suggests that sociohistorical circumstance may play a role, and addresses the study limitations.

What does cultural research tell us about memory?

“…The topics range from the own-race memory bias in facial recognition (Leffers & Coley, 2021; Marsh, 2021) to false memory in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm (J. Wang, Otgaar, Santtila, Shen, & Zhou, 2021); from episodic memory specificity (Leger & Gutchess, 2021) to semantic memory for facts (Stanley, Taylor, & Marsh, 2021); from vicarious memories and intergenerational narratives (Chen, Cullen, Fivush, Wang, & Reese, 2021) to the functions (Wasti, Aydin, Altunsu, & Beyhan, 2021), characteristics (Alea, Ali, & Ali, 2021), and lifespan retrieval of autobiographical memory (Bohn & Bundgaard-Nielsen, 2021); and from collaborative remembering in group settings (Pepe, Wang, & Rajaram, 2021) to living historical memory (Liu et al, 2021) and collective memory (Choi, Abel, Siqi-Liu, & Umanath, 2021). Together, the studies show that human mnemonic processes, including those closely tied to neurocognitive functioning, are deeply conditioned by the cultural experiences of the rememberers.…”

“…The functions of autobiographical memory (Bluck, 2003; Pillemer, 2001), whether it is for identity construction, relationship maintenance, or problem solving, vary across cultural groups and reflect different self-goals and motives prioritized in these cultural communities (Wasti et al, 2021). Individuals’ beliefs further interact with cultural expectations in shaping how people remember their personal experiences (Alea et al, 2021). Cultural life scripts (Berntsen & Rubin, 2004), shaped by the social ecology of a community (e.g., the important role of grandmothers in childrearing), influence the distribution of autobiographical memories across the lifespan (Bohn & Bundgaard-Nielsen, 2021).…”

“…Beyond identifying cultural differences and similarities in memory, the studies in the special issue reveal that culture influences what, how, and why we remember at multiple levels (Wang, 2018). At the level of the individual, where researchers measure “cultural elements” and cultural identification in individuals, internalized cultural values and beliefs are associated with the characteristics and functions of autobiographical memory (Alea et al, 2021; Wasti et al, 2021). At the dyadic level, socialization agents play important roles in cultural learning and cultural transmission, such that memories for parents’ experiences are linked to adolescents’ well-being across cultures (Chen et al, 2021), and grandmothers’ active involvement in community and family lives shapes the structure of cultural life scrips and autobiographical memories (Bohn & Bundgaard-Nielsen, 2021).…”

“…Finally, at the temporal level, given culture being an ever-changing system of meaning (Greenfield, 2018; Varnum & Grossmann, 2017), a historical perspective is essential for understanding the influence of culture on memory. Several studies in the special issue consider societal, historical, and economic factors that transform the values and practices of cultural communities, which further influence what and how people remember in a manner specific to a historical moment in time and place (Alea et al, 2021; Bohn & Bundgaard-Nielsen, 2021; Choi et al, 2021; Liu et al, 2021).…”

“…narratives (Chen, Cullen, Fivush, Wang, & Reese, 2021) to the functions (Wasti, Aydin, Altunsu, & Beyhan, 2021), characteristics (Alea, Ali, & Ali, 2021), and lifespan retrieval of autobiographical memory (Bohn & Bundgaard-Nielsen, 2021); and from collaborative remembering in group settings (Pepe, Wang, & Rajaram, 2021) to living historical memory (Liu et al, 2021) and collective memory (Choi, Abel, Siqi-Liu, & Umanath, 2021). Together, the studies show that human mnemonic processes, including those closely tied to neurocognitive functioning, are deeply conditioned by the cultural experiences of the rememberers.…”