Mark L. Howe

Mark L. HoweMark L. Howe, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Research Chair in Developmental Psychology at Lancaster University, Lancaster UK. Co-director of the Centre for Research in Human Development at Lancaster University

BIO: Mark L. Howe is a Professor of Psychology and a Research Chair in Developmental Psychology at Lancaster University, Lancaster UK. Dr. Howe is also Co-director of the Centre for Research in Human Development at Lancaster University. His research concerns children’s memory development including children’s false memories, autobiographical memory, and long-term retention of information. His current work includes studies of developmental changes and invariances in memory and forgetting from infancy to adulthood; infantile amnesia and the development of autobiographical memory; children’s memory for distinctive (e.g., traumatic) events; changes in basic memory development due to childhood stress and maltreatment; the use of heart rate variability (and other neurophysiological measures) to investigate neurological and behavioral indices of long-term memory; dynamic modeling of cognitive development, and working memory analyses of the development of reasoning skills. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as the Association for Psychological Science.

PRESENTATION TITLE AND DESCRIPTION:

Children’s Memory Development and Trauma: Advances in Early Memory Research

In this presentation, the nature of early memory is outlined. Key changes in children’s memory are highlighted, including the onset of autobiographical memory. The impact of stress and trauma on memory development, as well as memory for trauma itself, is discussed. Finally, differences between acute (e.g., a single hospitalization) and chronic traumatic experiences (e.g., child maltreatment) is examined, both in terms of memory development and memory for events themselves.

At the completion of this presentation, the participant will gain:

  1. Knowledge of how early memory works and the limitations of children’s autobiographical memory.
  2. Knowledge of how stress associated with acute and chronic trauma affects memory development.
  3. Knowledge of how stress can affect children’s memory as well as the subsequent reporting of traumatic experiences.