"How frequently does your grand-mother talk about her life?": Intergenerational transmission of memories in the family

In the family, intergenerational transmission of memories is a casual and common process that occurs spontaneously since early life. But how much do people perceive, transmit and receive in the family? Using an exploratory online questionnaire, we investigated participants’ perception of transmission frequency in their families. We examined three generations: individuals with at least one grandchild, individuals with at least one child but no grandchild, and individuals with no child. They were asked about events that occurred either before or after the birth of the person on the receiving end of the transmission, or recent events, for both public and personal events. We compared the perception of frequency between the transmitter and the receiver of the transmission. Although with large interindividual differences, we found that intergenerational transmission of memory is perceived as rather frequent. We also found differences in perception of frequency between parent and child. Personal memories were reported as more frequent than public memories. Recent events were perceived as more frequent as well. Furthermore, while the frequency of transmission was positively correlated with the frequency of communication, correlations between transmission and feeling of closeness depended on the generations. Results are discussed regarding functions of intergenerational transmission.