Elaborating on Elaborations: Role of Maternal Reminiscing Style in Cognitive and Socioemotional Development

Abstract

Initial research on maternal reminiscing style established clear and consistent individual differences that vary along a dimension of maternal elaboration and that are related to children's developing autobiographical skills. More recent research has linked maternal elaborative reminiscing to strategic memory development, language and literacy skills, developing attachment relationships, and understanding of self, other, and mind. In this review, this research is placed in theoretical context by arguing for the critical role of reminiscing in developmental process and outcome.

Memory development: implications for adults recalling childhood experiences in the courtroom

“…Regardless, what is clear is that children's conversations with parents about their autobiographical experiences, does increase the longevity of memories for these events [46][47] .…”

“…For example, the emergence of the cognitive self at around 18 to 24 months 40-41 provides a structure within which memories can be embedded, a development that leads to more stable, hence potentially longer-lasting, memories [40][41][42][43][44] . Developments in language 34,[44][45][46][47] (e.g., development of pronoun use) and the sharing of our past experiences with others 45 (e.g., parents) also contribute to the restructuring and enhanced retention of children's memories for recent experiences [44][45][46][47] .…”

Earliest Memories and Recent Memories of Highly Salient Events—Are They Similar?

“…Indeed, there are some suggestions that earlier first memories are related to better memories from other ages. For example, young adolescents who had elaborative parents had younger ages of first memories (Jack et al, 2009;Reese et al, 2010), and children with elaborative parents tend to have better autobiographical memories (Fivush, Haden, & Reese, 2006). Regression analyses also suggested that the two types of memories were related in some ways when data from recent memories were derived from free recall.…”

“…These concepts will influence children's memory reports, regardless of what sorts of events they describe. In addition, some researchers have shown that how parents engage in memory-talk with their children affects how children remember and talk about their memories (see reviews in Fivush, Haden, & Reese, 2006;and Peterson & McCabe, 2004), and both types of memories could reflect this influence. Finally, many researchers point to children having to learn the expectations of interviewers (e.g., Lamb & Brown, 2006;Powell, Fisher, & Wright, 2005;Saywitz & Snyder, 1996), and those who have more successfully learned the 'rules of the memory game' are more likely to apply them to both memory tasks, e.g., more informative accounts that provide more of the underlying structure of the event (completeness components such as who, what, when, and where).…”

Becoming a teller of tales: Associations between children’s fictional narratives and parent–child reminiscence narratives

“…One influential place children learn about storytelling is in conversation with adults, particularly conversations with parents about past events. Within these conversations, children learn to structure stories about their own lives (Fivush, Haden, & Reese, 2006;Peterson & McCabe, 2004). Indeed, a growing literature shows that the conversational style parents adopt during reminiscence is related to what and how much children remember about past events (see Fivush et al, 2006 for a review).…”