Reminiscence bumps in personal and vicarious memories: Older adults’ recollections of parent–child memory sharing

• Published in: Journal of applied research in memory and cognition 2024-10
• Main Authors: Özdemir, Çağlayan, Pillemer, David B., Thomas, Morgan L., Leichtman, Michelle D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autobiographical Memory; Female; Human; Male; Memory; Older Adulthood; Parent Child Relations; Reminiscence; Sharing (Social Behavior); Vicarious Experiences
• ISSN: 2211-3681; 2211-369X
• DOI: 10.1037/mac0000200

Vicarious memories, in which individuals recall events experienced by others, may have similar properties to personal memories. Two studies explored characteristics of memories shared between parents and their offspring. A key question was whether vicarious memories would form a reminiscence bump, clustering disproportionately in adolescence and early adulthood. In Study 1, 147 older adults (current M age = 68.0 years) reported personal memories that they had shared with their child (current M age = 44.5 years) and personal memories that their child had shared with them. Prominent reminiscence bumps were evident for both kinds of memories. Vicarious and personal memory qualities correlated similarly with well-being and relationship closeness. In Study 2, 149 adults ( M age = 47.3) imagined hypothetical events a 70-year-old had shared with their child, and vice versa. Reminiscence bumps for hypothetical events mirrored Study 1 memory distributions. The observed similarities between vicarious and personal memories have theoretical and practical implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)