Psikoloji Çalışmaları

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DOI :10.26650/SP2018-0001   IUP :10.26650/SP2018-0001    Tam Metin (PDF)

Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler

Elif Yıldırım, Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan, Merve Çolak, Sümeyye Akpınar, Busenur Altan

Çocukluk amnezisi, gelişimin erken evrelerinde üretilen otobiyografik anıların yetişkinlik döneminde tam olarak hatırlanamaması olarak tanımlanan bir durumdur. Genel olarak hatırlanan ilk anıların ortalama 3- 4 yaşa ait olduğu kabul edilse de, ilk çocukluk anısının ait olduğu yaş tartışmalıdır. Bu çalışmada genç yetişkinlerde hatırlanan ilk çocukluk anısına ait yaşın belirlenmesi ve cinsiyet, anıya ilişkin faktörler, bağlanma stilleri ve çocukluk çağı travmatik olaylarının anı yaşı üzerindeki etkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmaya 137 üniversite öğrencisi katılmıştır. Katılımcılardan hatırladıkları ilk anıyı yazmaları ve anının yaşı ile sıradanlık düzeyi, netliği, emosyonel yoğunluğu, bütünlüğü gibi anı özelliklerini değerlendiren anketi doldurmaları istenmiştir. Buna ek olarak katılımcıların erken travmatik deneyimleri ve bağlanma stilleri de değerlendirilmiştir. Katılımcıların hatırladıkları ilk çocukluk anısına ait yaşın 24 ve 95 ay arasında değiştiği ve ortalamanın 52.44 (SS = 16.77) ay olduğu bulunmuştur. Kadın katılımcılarda ilk anı yaşının erkek katılımcılara kıyasla anlamlı düzeyde daha düşük olduğu saptanmıştır. Cinsiyete ek olarak, çocukluk çağında yaşanan ebeveynler arasındaki ilişkiye dair travmatik olayların varlığı ilk anı yaşı ile ilişkili bir diğer faktör olarak ön plana çıkmıştır. Çocukluk çağı amnezisi otobiyografik belleğin ortaya çıkışının bir işareti olarak düşünülmektedir. Bulgular cinsiyet gibi bireysel özelliklere ek olarak erken çocukluk çağı deneyimlerinin çocukluk çağı amnezisi ile ilişkili olduğunu öne sürmektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Bellek, çocukluk çağı, amnezi
DOI :10.26650/SP2018-0001   IUP :10.26650/SP2018-0001    Tam Metin (PDF)

Childhood Amnesia: Factors Related to the Age of First Childhood Memory

Elif Yıldırım, Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan, Merve Çolak, Sümeyye Akpınar, Busenur Altan

Childhood amnesia is a state which is characterized by an inability to fully remember autobiographical memories formed in the early stages of development. Although it is generally accepted that the earliest memories belong to the ages of 3 or 4, the exact age to which the first childhood memory belongs is still debatable. This study aims to identify the age of a first childhood memory, and to investigate the effects of gender, factors related to that memory, attachment style and childhood traumatic experiences on the age of first memory. A total of 137 university students participated in the study. Participants were asked to write down their first memory and fill out a survey that asked for the age and features of the memory such as the level of ordinariness, clarity, emotional intensity, and integrity. In addition, participants’ early traumatic experiences and attachment styles were assessed. The results indicated that the age to which first memory belongs ranges between 24 and 95 months, with a mean of 52.44 (SD = 16.77) months. The age of the earliest memory was significantly younger for women compared to men. In addition to gender, early traumatic experiences related to parents’ relationships emerged as another significant predictor of the age of the earliest memory. Childhood amnesia is perceived as an indicator of the development of autobiographical memory. Our findings suggest that in addition to personal characteristics such as gender, childhood amnesia is also related to early childhood experiences.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Memory, childhood, amnesia

GENİŞLETİLMİŞ ÖZET


It has been stated that the representation of memories acquired in adulthood are more stable, while memories acquired during early childhood are more vulnerable to being forgotten. This inability by adults to recollect early experiences is called “childhood amnesia” (Campbell & Campbell, 1962; Hayne & Jack, 2011). The border of childhood amnesia is considered a marker of the development of autobiographical memory. Studies suggest that adults’ first memories generally belong to the first 2–8 years of life, with a mean of 3.5 years (Bauer, 2015; Tustin & Hayne, 2010). Women generally report first memories belonging to earlier years of life compared to men (Howe & Courage, 1993; Mullen, 1994). The age of first childhood memory can differ according to the type and features of the experienced event, such as the importance of the event and its emotional valence (Howe & Courage, 1993; Kihlstrom & Harackiewicz, 1982). Moreover, early childhood experiences and interactions between children and their parents can also relate to childhood amnesia (Nelson & Fivush, 2004). In this study, our goal is (1) to determine the age of first childhood memory; (2) to investigate the features related to that memory (e.g., emotional intensity, integrity, clarity); and (3) to detect the predictive effects of gender, features of memory, attachment styles, and childhood traumatic events at the age of first childhood memory. 

Method

The sample consisted of 137 university students (82 women and 55 men) whose ages ranged between 18 and 30 years (M = 21.31, SD = 1.94). Participants were asked to write down their first childhood memory and guess their approximate age at the time of that memory. They also filled out a questionnaire that asked them about the features related to their first memory, including clarity, emotional intensity, and integrity. Participants answered further questions that aimed to assess their attachment styles and early traumatic experiences. 

Results

Our findings indicate that the age of first childhood memory ranged between 24 and 95 months, with a mean of 52.44 months (SD = 16.77). Women’s first memories belonged to an earlier period of life (M = 47.06, SD = 14.54) as compared to men (M = 60.47, SD = 16.80), t(135) = −4.970, p < .001, d = .86. While participants who experienced domestic traumatic events such as divorce and separation had more earlier childhood memories than participants who did not experience any traumatic events in childhood (t(39.79) = −2.447, p = .02, d = .76), none of the features of the first childhood memory were significantly related to the child’s age at the time of that memory (p > .05). Finally, our regression analysis revealed gender (B = −8.495, SH = 3.215) and presence of relationship-related early traumatic events (B = −12.214, SH = 2.679) as significant predictors of the age of the earliest memory (R2 = .18, F (2,134) = 16.391, p < .001). 

Discussion

Consistent with earlier studies suggesting that adults cannot usually recollect events that occurred before the age of 2–3 years old (Eacott & Crawley, 1998; Usher & Neisser, 1993), we found that the age of first childhood memory ranged between 2 and 8 years of age. However, our result showed a higher mean of childhood memory than in previous reports. This could be associated with the fact that most previous studies included participants from Western cultures. For instance, Wang, Conway, and Hou (2004) suggested that the age of first childhood memory is 6 months earlier among American participants as compared to Chinese participants. We also found that the age of childhood memory differed with regard to gender. Socialization processes that affect men and women differently during childhood might be responsible for this difference. In addition to gender, traumatic childhood experiences, especially events related to parents’ divorce or separation were related to having first memories at an earlier point of life. Early traumatic experiences that might contribute to the development of psychiatric problems could enhance amygdala-mediated memory encoding. Thus, focusing on the relationship between childhood amnesia and early traumatic events may be important for the field of psychopathology. In conclusion, our findings suggest that there could be a critical period for the formation of autobiographical memory, and that culture and early childhood experiences may affect this time period. 


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DIŞA AKTAR



APA

Yıldırım, E., Soncu Büyükişcan, E., Çolak, M., Akpınar, S., & Altan, B. (2018). Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler. Psikoloji Çalışmaları, 38(2), 155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


AMA

Yıldırım E, Soncu Büyükişcan E, Çolak M, Akpınar S, Altan B. Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler. Psikoloji Çalışmaları. 2018;38(2):155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


ABNT

Yıldırım, E.; Soncu Büyükişcan, E.; Çolak, M.; Akpınar, S.; Altan, B. Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler. Psikoloji Çalışmaları, [Publisher Location], v. 38, n. 2, p. 155-170, 2018.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Yıldırım, Elif, and Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan and Merve Çolak and Sümeyye Akpınar and Busenur Altan. 2018. “Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler.” Psikoloji Çalışmaları 38, no. 2: 155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


Chicago: Humanities Style

Yıldırım, Elif, and Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan and Merve Çolak and Sümeyye Akpınar and Busenur Altan. “Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler.” Psikoloji Çalışmaları 38, no. 2 (Apr. 2025): 155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


Harvard: Australian Style

Yıldırım, E & Soncu Büyükişcan, E & Çolak, M & Akpınar, S & Altan, B 2018, 'Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler', Psikoloji Çalışmaları, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 155-170, viewed 27 Apr. 2025, https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Yıldırım, E. and Soncu Büyükişcan, E. and Çolak, M. and Akpınar, S. and Altan, B. (2018) ‘Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler’, Psikoloji Çalışmaları, 38(2), pp. 155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001 (27 Apr. 2025).


MLA

Yıldırım, Elif, and Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan and Merve Çolak and Sümeyye Akpınar and Busenur Altan. “Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler.” Psikoloji Çalışmaları, vol. 38, no. 2, 2018, pp. 155-170. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001


Vancouver

Yıldırım E, Soncu Büyükişcan E, Çolak M, Akpınar S, Altan B. Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler. Psikoloji Çalışmaları [Internet]. 27 Apr. 2025 [cited 27 Apr. 2025];38(2):155-170. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001 doi: 10.26650/SP2018-0001


ISNAD

Yıldırım, Elif - Soncu Büyükişcan, Ezgi - Çolak, Merve - Akpınar, Sümeyye - Altan, Busenur. “Çocukluk Çağı Amnezisi: Hatırlanan İlk Çocukluk Anısı Yaşı ile İlişkili Faktörler”. Psikoloji Çalışmaları 38/2 (Apr. 2025): 155-170. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0001



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