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The Development of Event Clusters in Autobiographical Memory

Posted on:2011-06-19Degree:M.SType:Thesis
University:University of Alberta (Canada)Candidate:Svob, ConnieFull Text:PDF
GTID:2445390002468789Subject:Psychology
Abstract/Summary:
The prevalence of event clusters in autobiographical memory was examined with an event-cueing task in two parallel experiments. Event clusters are theoretical memory structures that bind specific personal events in narrative-like configurations. Prior research has shown that young adults report fewer event clusters when cued with childhood events than high school events (Brown, 2005). Experiment 1 tested whether the reduced prevalence of event clusters in childhood is due to forgetting. Experiment 2 used the same event cueing task with 4th grade children. Keeping event age constant, children reported a comparable amount of event clusters to adults recalling childhood events. Children's relational judgments between event pairs differed from adults and may have inflated their responses. Together, these findings suggest that event clusters are consequences of other cognitive processes implicated in the development of autobiographical memory.;Keywords: autobiographical memory, event clusters, narratives, child development.
Keywords/Search Tags:Event clusters, Autobiographical memory, Development
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