Functions of Memory Sharing and Mother-Child Reminiscing Behaviors: Individual and Cultural Variations

Abstract

This study examined maternal beliefs about the functions of memory sharing and the relations between these beliefs and mother-child reminiscing behaviors in a cross-cultural context. Sixty-three European American and 47 Chinese mothers completed an open-ended questionnaire concerning their beliefs about the functions of parent-child memory sharing. They also engaged in a joint-reminiscing task with their child. European American mothers were more likely than Chinese mothers to report social (conversational and relationship maintenance) and teaching/problem solving functions. In addition, conversational functions were associated with increased maternal elaborativeness and evaluations during reminiscing, independent of culture. Results are discussed in light of the functional and cultural contexts of early autobiographical memory development.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by NIMH Grant R01-MH64661 to Qi Wang.

The authors would like to thank the members of the Social Cognition Development Lab at Cornell University for their various contributions to the project. We are especially grateful to the children and families who made this study possible.

Notes

∗p < .05.

∗∗p < .01.

Note. Culture was coded 0 = European American, 1 = Chinese.

∗p < .05.

∗∗∗p < .001.