Sibling Relationship Memories in Socio‐Cultural Contexts: Links to Relationship Quality
Published online on July 29, 2026
Abstract
["Applied Cognitive Psychology, Volume 40, Issue 4, July/August 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSocio‐cultural context and psychological well‐being, two central themes in Dr. Robyn Fivush's research, are integral to the development of autobiographical memory. Extending this work, the present research examines young adults' recollections of sibling‐related events, a heretofore largely neglected area in autobiographical memory studies. In Study 1, Turkish college students recalled emotionally positive and negative sibling‐related events. Study 2A focused on Turkish and US students' recall of emotional events, and Study 2B examined recollections of significant events more broadly. Participants described sibling‐related events, rated phenomenological characteristics, and completed a sibling relationship quality scale. We examined how gender concordance between participants and siblings, culture, and emotional valence shaped phenomenological features of sibling‐relationship memories and their links to relationship quality. Findings largely aligned with prior research, illustrating generalizability across relationship contexts. Perceived significance and other memory characteristics were associated with higher relationship quality, highlighting connections between relationship memories and well‐being in socio‐cultural contexts.\n"]