Logo image
Back
Changes in reality monitoring and episodic memory in early childhood
Journal article

Changes in reality monitoring and episodic memory in early childhood

Julia Sluzenski, Nora Newcombe and Wendy Ottinger
Developmental science, v 7(2), 225
Apr 2004
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00341.x
PMID: 15320382

Abstract

Age Factors Analysis of Variance Autobiography as Topic Child Child, Preschool Cues Female Humans Imagination - physiology Intelligence Tests Language Development Male Memory - physiology Memory, Short-Term - physiology Recognition (Psychology) - physiology Retention (Psychology) - physiology Time Factors Verbal Behavior - physiology Verbal Learning - physiology
The purposes of this research were to examine the developmental relation between reality monitoring and episodic memory, to link reality monitoring to autobiographical memory by using extended naturalistic events, and to examine prefrontal functioning as a potential contributor to development in reality monitoring and episodic memory. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds were worse than 6- or 8-year-olds at reality monitoring after a week delay, despite the fact that they remembered more about real than imagined events and remembered different aspects of each. In Experiments 2 and 3, reality monitoring and episodic memory were evaluated for 4- and 6-year-olds immediately after the events occurred and, in Experiment 3, again after a week delay. Reality monitoring was at higher levels for both age groups, but age differences remained. These data suggest that preschoolers' difficulties with reality monitoring result from a combination of episodic memory deficits and strategic differences. In addition, correlation analyses more directly linked preschoolers' reality monitoring to episodic memory and supported the hypothesis that episodic memory development is related to prefrontal functioning.

Metrics

9 Record Views
53 citations in Web of Science
62 citations in Scopus

Details

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Psychology, Developmental
Psychology, Experimental
Logo image