The document discusses a study on the impact of warmth and safety in the family environment on early childhood cognitive development and memory recall. The study hypothesized that children who felt greater warmth and safety would recall more early memories and have higher working memory scores. It found that participants who reported feeling warmth and safety as children recalled more memories on average (23 vs. 18) and had higher working memory scores (92% vs. 84%). However, the study had limitations such as potential bias from current feelings and false memories. Further research is suggested to address these limitations.

1. Early Childhood Cognitive
Abilities
Angela McNabb

2. Introduction
• Autobiographical memories crucial for self growth
• Psychological, physiological, and sociological conditions as individuals
mature
• Childhood amnesia progresses; memories stay with the individuals
• Earliest memory - 2 to 2 ½ years old.
• Attachment styles
• Different styles

3. Hypothesis
• The emotional sense of warmth and safeness in a family environment
will impact self-reassurance with emotional memories.
• Warmth and safeness within the family unit will have a positive
impact on early childhood cognitive development and the number of
memories.

4. Methods
• Participants
• 70 random undergraduate students from the University of
Oklahoma.
• parental information - personal memories vs. reminisced
memories.
• Procedure
• Warmth and safeness scales (MNWSS) questionnaire
• I felt appreciated by my parents. (0= Never, 4= most of the time.)
• Working Memory measure
• Earliest Memory interview
• Recall all childhood memories before the age of 5 years old
• Parents’ information

5. Results
• Hypothesis: Participants that had felt greater warmth and safeness in
their childhood would be able to recall more memories
• Those participants that did not feel warmth or safeness are predicted
to show significantly less working memory capacity.
• An interview with their parental guardian confirmed or denied the
participants past memory in an attempt to control for false memories

6. N Recalled Memories Working Memory Score
Did Feel a Sense of Warmth and
Safeness
38 23 92%
Did Not Feel a Sense of Warmth
and Safeness
32 18 84%
Total 70

7. Number of Recalled Memories
23
18
0
5
10
15
20
25
RecalledMemories
Measurement of Warmth
High Warmth Low Warmth

8. Working Memory Task
80%
82%
84%
86%
88%
90%
92%
94%
PercentagesofWorkingMemoryScores
Working Memory
High Warmth Low Warmth

9. Discussion
• In conclusion to the results that were collected, there is a significant
difference between the groups that had reported a sense of warmth and
safety compared to their counterpart who did not report having the
same feelings as a child
• The nature of the parent-child relationship and the distinctive family
communication influences how children will understand and
remember their early experiences.

10. Limitations for Research
• Depression or anxiety of the individual can affect the results in a way
that we could not have anticipated.
• Recovering childhood memories can be derived in a negative way.
• The results can be skewed by the participant’s current state of
feeling(s) about the memory itself instead of the recalled feelings.
• Parental guardian does not remember the memories that the
participant has given.
• False memories vs actual memories
• Correlational

11. Future Research
• Conducting longitudinal studies starting at the age of 3 1/2 to focus
on early development of the theory of the mind. If the thought
process of understanding oneself will coincide with cognitive abilities.
• Prevention and treatment for recovered repressed memories in an
event of studying early childhood memories.
• Further research on how to insure that the memories that are being
collected are not reminisced memories.

12. Questions