Doctoral Dissertation Research: When the Past is Another Country: The Impact of Emigration on Memory

以往的研究表明，记忆并不是在整个生命过程中均匀分布的，而是在青春期和成年期早期的关键时期聚集在一起。较早或较晚发生的事件不太可能被记住。关于集群的原因几乎没有达成共识，但一种社会心理学解释表明，记忆的关键期可能与自我概念的变化有关。这种变化可能与年龄有关，但也可能是与年龄无关的变革性事件促成的。这篇博士论文研究的重点是1970-1997年间从苏联/前苏联移民到美国，作为一个变革性的人生事件的例子。特别是对于1970年S-1980年S时期离开并认为自己一去不复返的“第三次浪潮”移民来说，移民是与他们以前的生活彻底的、不可挽回的决裂。这项研究的中心假设是，无论一个人移民的年龄是多少，移民时期都将构成记忆的关键时期。此外，第三波流亡者经历的戏剧性转变预计将产生一个比后来的流亡者更明显的记忆关键期。有关流亡者对公共和个人事件的记忆的数据将通过访谈和自填式问卷收集。

Previous research shows that memories are not distributed evenly over the life course, but cluster during the critical period of adolescence and early adulthood. Events that occur either earlier or later are less likely to be remembered. There is little consensus about the causes of the clustering, but a social psychological explanation suggests that the critical period for memory may be associated with change in the self-concept. Such change may be age-related, but it may also be precipitated by transformative events unrelated to age. This doctoral dissertation research focuses on emigration between 1970-1997 from the USSR/former USSR to the US as an example of a transformative life event. Particularly for "third wave" emigres who departed in the 1970's-1980's and believed that they could never return, emigration represented a complete and irrevocable break with their former lives. The central hypothesis of this study is that the period of emigration will constitute a critical period for memory, regardless of the age at which an individual emigrated. Further, the dramatic transition experienced by third-wave emigres is expected to produce a critical period for memory that is more pronounced than that of later emigres. Data on emigres' memories of public and personal events will be gathered via interviews and self-administered questionnaires.