Childhood memory and self-description in young Chinese adults: The impact of growing up an only child

This study examined the relationship between self-description and childhood memory in 255 Chinese young adults. Ninety-nine participants were from onl y child families and 156 had siblings. All participants completed two quest ionnaires: a version of the Twenty Statements Test of Kuhn and McPartland ( Kuhn, M.H., McPartland, T.S., 1954. An empirical investigation of self-atti tudes. American Sociological Review 19, 68-76) eliciting self-descriptions, and an instrument asking for earliest and other childhood memories. Based on theories positing a relationship between autobiography and the organizat ion of the self, we predicted differences on both measures between only- an d sibling-child participants. Findings indicated that compared with sibling children, only children had more private and fewer collective self: descri ptions, earlier first memories, more specific and more self-focused memorie s. In addition, autobiographical measures were influenced by cohort, gender , preschool attendance, and urban/rural family effects. Findings are discus sed in terms of Literature on autobiography, the self and childhood in Chin a. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.