How can adults influence children's autobiographical narratives?
What will be an ideal response?
Adults use two styles to elicit children's autobiographical narratives. In the elaborative style, they follow the child's lead, discussing topics of interest to the child, asking varied questions, adding information to the child's statements, and volunteering their own recollections and evaluations of events. In contrast, adults who use the repetitive style keep repeating the same questions regardless of the child's interest, providing little additional information. Preschoolers who experience the elaborative style recall more information about past events, and they also produce more organized and detailed personal stories when followed up 1 to 2 years later.
As children talk with adults about the past, they not only expand their autobiographical recollections but also create a shared history that strengthens close relationships and self-understanding. In line with these ideas, parents and preschoolers with secure attachment bonds engage in more elaborate reminiscing than those with insecure bonds, who generally limit themselves to the repetitive style. And children of elaborative-style parents describe themselves in clearer, more consistent ways.