Autobiographical memories of important life story events in Mexico, Greenland, China, and Denmark

• Main Authors: Zaragoza Scherman, Alejandra, Salgado, Sinue, Shao, Zhifang, Berntsen, Dorthe
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Greenland
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/d2d9ef14-aa4a-489e-8d94-603a830abc0e; http://www.icom2016.com/

Individuals often think and talk about autobiographical memories of important life events from their personal past. Do these life events and how often often participants rehearse them differ across cultures? In this study, researchers asked participants from Mexico, Greenland, China, and Denmark to recall seven autobiographical memories of important personal life story events. In addition, participants indicated how often they think or talk about the reported events. The three common important life events recalled by participants from all four cultures were having children, getting married, and attending college. Results showed cross-cultural differences in the rehearsal (think/talk) ratings for positive events, but not for negative events.