Context and consequences of autobiographical memory development

This special issue of Cognitive Development focuses on recent research examining multiple aspects of autobiographical memory, as well as its antecedents and consequences. It brings together leading researchers who have been investigating developing relations between autobiographical memory and other socio-emotional and cognitive developments. Articles in the collection take the study of the development of autobiographical memory well beyond the question of whether children remember the significant events of their lives to examine a number of potential determinants of remembering, including the characteristics of the child, the nature of the to-be-remembered event or experience, and both the “local” (socio-emotional) and more “global” (cultural) context of remembering. The work reported in the issue also examines the potential consequences of autobiographical memories for development of a personal or self-identity, family relationships, and emotional health and well-being.