The role of executive functions in accessing specific autobiographical memories in 3- to 6- year-olds

Autobiographical memory develops gradually across preschool years (ages 3-6 years) through processes of social interaction and cognitive development. This study analyzed the role of executive functions, age, and verbal abilities in the capacity to retrieve specific autobiographical memories in a convenience sample of 228 Spanish 3- to 6- year-olds (ages 3.42-6.50 years). Participants were administered an autobiographical memory test and executive functions and verbal tests. We analyzed the relation between these variables and autobiographical memory specificity. All the variables analyzed were positively related to autobiographical memory specificity. However, using structural equation modeling, our results showed that autobiographical memory specificity was better explained by executive functions and age was indirectly related to higher AM specificity through higher levels of executive functioning. These findings are in agreement with previous research suggesting that specific autobiographical memory occurs with the development of executive functions during preschool years.