The relations of maternal reminiscing style and child self-concept to children's shared and independent autobiographical memories were examined in a sample of 189 three-year-olds and their mothers from Chinese families in China, first-generation Chinese immigrant families in the United States, and European American families. Mothers shared memories with their children and completed questionnaires; children recounted autobiographical events and described themselves with a researcher. Independent of culture, gender, child age, and language skills, maternal elaborations and evaluations were associated with children's shared memory reports, and maternal evaluations and child agentic self-focus were associated with children's independent memory reports. Maternal style and child self-concept further mediated cultural influences on children's memory. The findings provide insight into the social-cultural construction of autobiographical memory. © 2006 by the Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Asian memory psychological aspect Caucasian literature human Asian continental ancestry group Mother-Child Relations Maternal Behavior comparative study Humans Cross-Cultural Comparison male preschool child female Child, Preschool self concept cultural factor Article adult Autobiography migration European Continental Ancestry Group Emigration and Immigration Child Development mother child relation