A Model of the Origins of Autobiographical Memory

Abstract

How and when do infants and young children begin to remember significant events from their lives and communicate them to others? Memory for personally experienced events, or autobiographical memory, is a critical part of our sense of who we are as adults (Nelson, 1993a). The purpose of this chapter is to explore the emergence of autobiographical memory in infancy and early childhood. To accomplish this goal, I first discuss exactly what counts as autobiographical memory. Then I review historical and current theories of the development of autobiographical memory and the available evidence supporting each theory. Next I summarize the results of a longitudinal program of the development of autobiographical memory from 11/2 to 31/2 years of age. Based on these data, I propose a model of the origins of autobiographical memory development that integrates the existing evidence over this age period.

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