Reminiscence Bumps in Personal and Vicarious Memories: Older Adults’ Recollections of Parent–Child Memory Sharing

Özdemir Ç., Pillemer D. B., Thomas M. L., Leichtman M. D.

Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2024 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1037/mac0000200
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: autobiographical memory, parent–child memory sharing, reminiscence bump, subjective well-being, vicarious memory
  • TED Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Vicarious memories, in which individuals recall events experienced by others, may have similar properties to personal memories. Two studies explored characteristics of memories shared between parents and their offspring. A key question was whether vicarious memories would form a reminiscence bump, clustering disproportionately in adolescence and early adulthood. In Study 1, 147 older adults (current Mage = 68.0 years) reported personal memories that they had shared with their child (current Mage = 44.5 years) and personal memories that their child had shared with them. Prominent reminiscence bumps were evident for both kinds of memories. Vicarious and personal memory qualities correlated similarly with well-being and relationship closeness. In Study 2, 149 adults (Mage = 47.3) imagined hypothetical events a 70-year-old had shared with their child, and vice versa. Reminiscence bumps for hypothetical events mirrored Study 1 memory distributions. The observed similarities between vicarious and personal memories have theoretical and practical implications.