The relations between temporal memory abilities, time knowledge, executive function, and language in early and middle childhood
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Kathleen M. Bettencourt (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Stuart Marcovitch
Abstract: The current dissertation was designed to examine relations between temporal memory abilities, time knowledge, executive function (EF) components, and language in early and middle childhood. Time is an essential feature of episodic memory—memory for events from a specific time and place (Tulving, 1972). Memory for temporal order and context (e.g., season, time) improves substantially from 4 to 8 years of age (Pathman, Larkina, et al., 2013). To recall the time of events, Friedman (1993) discussed a process called reconstruction, which includes combining recalled details with time knowledge. Reconstruction abilities emerge in early childhood, show marked development during the transition to middle childhood (Friedman, 2014), and might relate to EF skills given the need to monitor the retrieval process by coordinating event details with time knowledge. Study 1 investigated the relations between memory for temporal order and context of personal events, time knowledge, EF components, and language in early childhood. Ninety-five 4- and 5-year-old children were interviewed about two recent events, and responses were coded for temporal order and context information. Participants also completed an EF task battery, time knowledge task, and receptive language task. Working memory was related to preschoolers’ memory for temporal context when controlling for age, cognitive flexibility, and time knowledge. Study 2 explored the relations between reconstruction abilities, time knowledge, and EF components in early and middle childhood. Eighty-one 4- to 7- year-olds heard two stories about child characters playing outside that took place in specific temporal contexts (e.g., Spring, Morning). The experimenter included temporal cues (e.g., flowers growing) but never stated the season or time. Participants then completed an EF task battery, which was followed by questions about the temporal contexts and cues of each story and a time knowledge task. Both cognitive flexibility and time knowledge were related to temporal judgments when controlling for age and working memory. Overall, there is evidence from this dissertation that EF components and time knowledge are related to temporal memory abilities in early and middle childhood. These findings have implications for children’s ability to construct narratives, create an autobiography and self-identity, and their ability to provide eyewitness testimony in early and middle childhood.
The relations between temporal memory abilities, time knowledge, executive function, and language in early and middle childhood
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Created on 8/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- Early childhood, Episodic memory development, Executive function, Middle childhood, Temporal memory development, Time knowledge
- Subjects
- Memory in children
- Time perception in children
- Executive functions (Neuropsychology)
- Children $x Language