Early Memories: An Investigation of Early Childhood Memories and Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Although much research has examined the link between earliest childhood memory and both culture and gender, there is currently no research on the relationship between earliest childhood memory and socioeconomic status. This study is an exploratory study that investigates potential differences in early childhood memories between people of different socioeconomic status as well as possible reasons for these differences. Participants were college undergraduates at Cornell University and Tompkins Cortland Community College. Participants reported their earliest childhood memory, as well as another early childhood memory of personal importance. They also answered questionnaires in order to determine self-construal, parent-child relationship qualities, parental monitoring and parenting style. These measures were implemented with the intention of explaining possible causes for SES differences in earliest childhood memories. The results of this study show that people of different SES differ in the age at which their memory occurred, memory theme, emotional valence of the memory and the presence of rules in the memory. The findings of the current study can be applied to factors involved in inequality.