Reminiscence and hypermnesia in children’s eyewitness memory

• Published in: Journal of experimental child psychology Vol. 90; no. 3; pp. 235 - 254
• Main Authors: Rooy, David La, Pipe, Margaret-Ellen, Murray, Janice E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-03-2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Child, Preschool; Developmental psychology; Eyewitness testimony; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Hypermnesia; Interview, Psychological; Male; Memory; Mental Recall; Periodicity; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Recall (Psychology); Reminiscence; Repeated interviewing; Repression, Psychology; Time Factors; Eyewitness testimony; Reminiscence; Repeated interviewing; Memory; Hypermnesia; Human; Preschool age; Testimony; Cognition; Experimental study; Interview; Child; Repetition
• ISSN: 0022-0965; 1096-0457
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2004.11.002

Three experiments examined reminiscence and hypermnesia in 5- and 6-year-olds’ memory for an event across repeated interviews that occurred either immediately afterward (Experiment 1) or after a 6-month delay (Experiments 2 and 3). Reminiscence (recall of new information) was reliably obtained in all of the experiments, although the numbers of new items recalled were fewer after a delay than when the interviews occurred immediately afterward. Hypermnesia (increasing total recall over repeated recall attempts) was obtained only in Experiment 1 when interviews occurred immediately and 24
h after the event.