Editors’ Introduction: Remembering With Others: Conversational Dynamics and Mnemonic Outcomes

Abstract

Remembering the past through conversations with others is a uniquely human endeavor. Conversational remembering consists of specific dynamics and can lead to mnemonic outcomes. While conversational dynamics refer to the interactive processes (e.g., the roles speakers and listeners may undertake during the conversation) shaping collaborative remembering, conversational outcomes are about the mnemonic and functional consequences (e.g., forging social bonds) of those processes. Thus, the aim of the present article is to introduce the reader to key concepts and paradigms that have been rigorously developed to empirically investigate the dynamics and outcomes of conversational remembering in cognitive research. The collected review and empirical articles gathered in this topic provide the state‐of‐the‐art in the field.

The interactive making of collective memories in WhatsApp group messages: The case of a small community with strong ties during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…Conversations about past experiences are one way in which people forge, transmit, and transform collective memories [2][3][4]. Conversational remembering consists of specific dynamics (e.g., the roles speakers and listeners may undertake during the conversation) that can have specific the mnemonic and functional consequences (e.g., forging social bonds) in individual and groups [2].…”

“…Conversations about past experiences are one way in which people forge, transmit, and transform collective memories [2][3][4]. Conversational remembering consists of specific dynamics (e.g., the roles speakers and listeners may undertake during the conversation) that can have specific the mnemonic and functional consequences (e.g., forging social bonds) in individual and groups [2]. Remembering together in conversations is used to create a feeling of connection and intimacy with partners [5] and provide social benefits (e.g., building trust) for the person telling the narrative and the one receiving it [6].…”

“…Remembering together in conversations is used to create a feeling of connection and intimacy with partners [5] and provide social benefits (e.g., building trust) for the person telling the narrative and the one receiving it [6]. The act of jointly retrieving shared memories develops and strengthens friendships [7], fosters entertainment [8], consolidates group identity [1] and allows individuals to re-evaluate the shared event, test the strength of their social bonds, and, in turn, either repair or weaken them [2].…”

Remembering with my chatbot

“…Remembering together in conversations builds trust, increases the feeling of connection and intimacy, fosters entertainment, consolidates group identity, and enables to re-evaluate shared past experiences and social bonds in friends and partners [11,12]. For example, we share personal, autobiographical memories with friends and partners, and we expect them to do the same with us.…”

“…So, what does conversational remembering look like? Psychologists argue that conversations about the past is uniquely human endeavor [11,12] and that they are driven by interactive processes where humans take on and adopt complementary roles as narrators, mentors, and monitors [12].…”