Chinese Emerging Adults' Memory Conversations with Mothers, Romantic Partners and Friends

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Attention, Learning, Memory

Abstract

Research has found that in the childhood years, mothers scaffold young children to develop an autobiographical self by engaging in memory conversations that focus on the child’s personally significant past experiences. Cross-cultural studies have suggested that both American and Chinese mothers’ elaboration during such conversations facilitates young children’s construction of personal histories and the development of an individual self, whereas Chinese mothers’ repetition during such conversations facilitates young children’s social conformity, adherence to social hierarchy and the development of a relational self. Beyond the childhood years, studies on adolescents have underscored that besides mothers, friends play a vital role in memory conversations who further contribute to the development of the autobiographical self in adolescents. Moving into the emerging adulthood years, identity development continues to be a critical developmental task. Yet there is a dearth of research on memory conversations and the development of the autobiographical self in emerging adults, especially in the Chinese context. Furthermore, besides mothers and friends, romantic partners increasingly take on an important role in emerging adults’ lives, and may serve as another key memory conversation partner who contribute to the continued development of the autobiographical self in emerging adults. This study thus sought to examine memory conversations between Chinese emerging adults and their mothers, romantic partners and friends.

Participants were 46 Chinese emerging adult-mother pairs, 46 Chinese emerging adult-romantic partner pairs and 48 Chinese emerging adult-friend pairs. Mean age of the Chinese emerging adults was 19.7 years (50 males). Each Chinese emerging adult recollected two personally significant events they experienced within the past year with their conversation partner. Elaboration (i.e., composite of elaborative statement, elaborative open-ended question and elaborative yes-no question) and repetition (i.e., composite of repetitive statement, repetitive open-ended question and repetitive yes-no question) were coded for the Chinese emerging adults and the conversation partners respectively.

On the part of the conversation partners, mothers and romantic partners were more elaborative with Chinese emerging adults than friends, t(92)(mother-friend) = 2.59, p < .05 and t(92)(romantic partner-friend) = 1.96, p = .05. Mothers and romantic partners were also more repetitive with Chinese emerging adults than friends, t(92)(mother-friend) = 3.35, p < .01 and t(92)(romantic partner-friend) = 2.25, p < .05.

On the part of the Chinese emerging adults, they were more elaborative with romantic partners and friends than with mothers, t(90)(romantic partner-mother) = 2.48, p < .05 and t(92)(friend-mother) = 2.20, p < .05. However, they were more repetitive with mothers and romantic partners than with friends, t(92)(mother-friend) = 2.15, p < .05 and t(92)(romantic partner-friend) = 2.31, p < .05.

Findings suggest that mothers and romantic partners may play a bigger role than friends in scaffolding the development of the autobiographical self in Chinese emerging adults. Furthermore, Chinese emerging adults may provide lengthier and more embellished information about their personal experiences during memory conversations with romantic partners and friends than with mothers, whereas they may be more socially conforming and adhering to social hierarchy when sharing past experiences with mothers and romantic partners than with friends.

Authors

• Jessie Bee Kim Koh, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
  Presenting Author

• Yu Deng, Chinese University of Hong Kong
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qian Wu, Chinese University of Hong Kong
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qianwen Gong, Chinese University of Hong Kong
  Non-Presenting Author