Sticking out and fitting in: Culture-specific predictors of 3-year-olds’ autobiographical memories during joint reminiscing

• Published in: Infant behavior & development 2012-12, Vol.35 (4), p.627-634
• Main Authors: Schröder, Lisa, Kärtner, Joscha, Keller, Heidi, Chaudhary, Nandita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autobiographical memory; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Cultural pathways; Developmental psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mother–child reminiscing; Newborn. Infant; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology
• ISSN: 0163-6383; 1879-0453
• DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.06.002

► Relation of early interaction patterns and mother–child reminiscing in two cultures. ► Positive relation of maternal elaborations and children's memory in both cultures. ► Maternal responsiveness predicted children's memory in the Berlin sample. ► Children's responsiveness predicted children's memory in the Delhi sample. ► Potentially different motivations underlying children's memory contributions. The present study investigates the relationship between mother–child interaction styles with 19 months and children's autobiographical memory with 3 years of age in two cultural contexts: New Delhi, India (n=25) and Berlin, Germany (n=33). Results demonstrate similarities as well as culture specificities. In both contexts, maternal elaborations during reminiscing were related to children's memory contributions. Over time, maternal support for toddlers’ self-expression during free play at 19 months predicted their children's memory elaborations at 3 years in the Berlin context. In the Delhi context, toddlers’ willingness to carry out their mothers’ requests at 19 months predicted their memory elaborations at 3 years. These results suggest different motivational bases underlying children's autobiographical memory contributions during mother–child reminiscing related to different cultural orientations.