Stress, Trauma, and Children's Memory Development

Neurobiological, Cognitive, Clinical, and Legal Perspectives

Few questions in psychology have generated as much debate as those concerning the impact of childhood trauma on memory. A lack of scientific research to constrain theory has helped fuel arguments about whether childhood trauma leads to deficits that result in conditions such as false memory or lost memory, and whether neurohormonal changes that are correlated with childhood trauma can be associated with changes in memory. Scientists have also struggled with more theoretical concerns, such as how to conceptualize and measure distress and other negative emotions in terms of, for example, discrete emotions, physiological response, and observer ratings. To answer these questions, Mark L. Howe, Gail Goodman, and Dante Cicchetti have brought together the most current and innovative neurobiological, cognitive, clinical, and legal research on stress and memory development. This research examines the effects of early stressful and traumatic experiences on the development of memory in childhood, and elucidates how early trauma is related to other measures of cognitive and clinical functioning in childhood. It also goes beyond childhood to both explore the long-term impact of stressful and traumatic experiences on the entire course of "normal" memory development, and determine the longevity of trauma memories that are formed early in life. Stress, Trauma, and Children's Memory Development will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in early experience, childhood trauma, and memory research.