ACCURACY OF MEMORIES FROM CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE RELATED TO GROWTHAND SIZE

The ability of middle-aged adults to recall their body size and events occurring up to 40 years earlier was assessed. Ninety-one subjects re called their relative height, weight, and fatness during childhood, ea rly adolescence and late adolescence. Accuracy of these memories was c ompared with the accuracy of current reports. The ability to accuratel y date benchmarks of their maturation such as menarche and year of max imal growth in height was also examined. Accuracy of reports did not d ecline uniformly over time. In general, reports of childhood physical characteristics were at least as accurate as reports of current charac teristics; that is, they did not differ significantly from current rep orts. Males were less accurate in their reports of relative height and fatness during early adolescence and childhood.