Autobiographical Memory and Past Time Reference

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the acquisition of language and the development of autobiographical memory. The investigation was based on the analysis of longitudinal caregiver-child interaction data from 10 children learning English during the period from approximately 2 to 4 years of age. Three forms of past reference were analyzed: (1) regular and irregular simple past tense, (2) past progressive, and (3) subordinate clause constructions with when and past time reference (i.e., past when-sentences). Simple past was acquired relatively early at 2;4 (cf. Brown, 1973), past when-sentences relatively late at 3;6 (cf. Limber, 1973), and past-progressive in the interim at 2;10. The discourse segments surrounding the sentences that contained these forms were analyzed for the following three elements: (1) reference time context established, (2) a supporting event expressed in the segment, and (3) reference made to a self-relevant, real-life event. The likelihood that a discourse segment would include these three elements increased as past reference advanced from simple past to past progressive and then to past when-sentences. As the morpho-syntax of past reference became more complex, a higher proportion of past time references provided evidence for autobiographical memory.