Structure and Coherence of Preschoolers′ Personal Narratives over Time: Implications for Childhood Amnesia

Abstract

In this study, we explored whether developmental changes in the structure and coherence of preschoolers′ personal narratives might provide some clues about childhood amnesia. In particular, we hypothesized that early memories may not be organized as coherent narratives and would therefore become less accessible and less likely to be integrated into the autobiographical life story that each of us creates. Preschoolers′ narratives about personally experienced events were assessed longitudinally at 40, 46, 58, and 70 months of age. Surprisingly, even at the earliest age studied, children were able to recount reasonably long and coherent narrative. But their narratives become more complex, more coherent, and more detailed over time. Additional analyses on the same events recalled repeatedly indicated that recall was stable over long delays. In fact, there was some evidence that children′s narratives about the same event became more elaborate and more complex over time, particularly between the ages of 4 and 5 years. Implications of these results for childhood amnesia are discussed.