Specyfika rozwojowa struktury pamięci dzieciństwa w biegu dorosłego życia – wyniki badań narracyjnych

Developmental Specificity of Childhood Memory Structure across the Adult Lifespan – Results of Narrative Research Theories of autobiographical memory and narrative identity allow us to assume that childhood memory is represented in the mind of an adult person as a comprehensive period with its own unique characteristics that is subjected to changes during the lifespan. Based on the concept of the global coherence of life history, it was assumed that in later periods of life, childhood memories will be more elaborate and thus cognitively more accessible as well as organized temporally and logically in a more coherent story. The use of narrative interview revealed differences between early, middle and late adulthood in the way the childhood memories are organized, as well as in the age-independent characteristics of the perceived childhood. The obtained results suggest that in late adulthood, childhood is recalled more extensively and more memories are logically organized, which is attributed to greater attention to the past resulting from the task of life summary. Regardless of the age of the respondents, less than half of the memories related logically to each other, with most of the text consisting of separate scenes not located in time. These findings raised the issue of the specificity of childhood memory and the universality of global coherence of life stories.