What do you remember about Captain Jon’s visit?: Parent–child conversations and children’s memory for a science lesson

• Published in: Journal of experimental child psychology 2021-07, Vol.207, p.105104-105104, Article 105104
• Main Authors: Camilleri, Kaitlin A., Leichtman, Michelle D., Pillemer, David B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education; Information recall; Kindergarten children; Memory; Parent–child conversation; School-age children; Science learning
• ISSN: 0022-0965; 1096-0457
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105104

•Kindergartners, 2nd/3rd and 5th/6th graders talked about science lesson with parents.•Memory assessments for concepts/event details 3 and 15 days later at school.•Parents’ elaborative questioning positively associated with kindergartners’ memory.•In contrast, elaboration negatively associated with older children’s memory.•Developmental changes in relationship between parent elaboration-children’s memory. Previous research on parent–child conversations about personal and school events has consistently demonstrated positive relationships between parents’ elaborative questioning and preschool/kindergarten children’s event memory. This study examined whether similarly positive relationships would be evident in school-age children. Kindergarten, 2nd/3rd-grade, and 5th/6th-grade children participated in a classroom science lesson about flight. At home following the lesson, parents talked with their children about this event in any way that seemed natural to them. Children’s memory was assessed both during the parent–child conversation and with a researcher at delays of 3 and 15 days. Expected positive associations between parents’ use of elaborative questioning and children’s memory for novel details during the parent–child conversation were apparent for kindergartners but not for older children. In addition, parents’ use of elaborative questioning techniques, including asking open-ended memory questions, was negatively correlated with older children’s longer-term memory performance. Predicted positive associations were observed between children’s initial recall of novel details and their memory for the lesson after 3 days (all three age groups) and after 15 days (the two older age groups). We discuss possible reasons why relationships between parental conversational styles and children’s event memory change as children advance to formal schooling.