Growing Memories: Teaching Mothers to Reminisce to Enrich Children's Memories

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Autobiographical Memory; Oral Narratives; Mental Health - Studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour

• Registration Number: ACTRN12619001788167
• Lead Sponsor: Professor Elaine Reese

Brief Summary

The main results to date from this study are that mothers in the treatment group became more elaborative and confirming in their reminiscing with their toddlers compared to mothers in the control group, and mothers maintained these differences in the long-term post-tests at age 3.5 years and 11 years. Children whose mothers were in the treatment group correspondingly provided more detailed memories with a researcher at age 3.5 years, especially if they started out the study with higher levels of self-awareness. Children of mothers in the treatment group also narrated their memories in richer ways, specifically by including more actions. Children of mothers in the treatment group who had lower language levels at the start of the study also benefitted more in their understanding of knowledge at age 3.5 years compared to children of mothers in the control group. At age 11, adolescents of mothers in the treatment group told more coherent narratives of low-point events to a researcher compared to adolescents of mothers in the control group, but the two groups did not differ in the narrative coherence of their high-point events.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2019-12-19
• Study Completion: 2021-02-10
• Last Update Posted: 5 July 2021

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 115

Inclusion Criteria

English-speaking primary caregivers (aged 18 to 50 years) and 19-month-old children

Exclusion Criteria

Children with any known language or developmental disabilities

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified