Korean children's ability to recall the timing of autobiographical events

This study examined the autobiographical memory recall ability of 8–12-year-old children, focusing on the accuracy of memory recall over time. A total of 26 children recalled an average of 4.46 autobiographical experiences, with 19 children (73.1 %) accurately recalling all presented experiences. While most children could recall the content of events, their accuracy in recalling the timing was lower. Of the 116 recalled events, 78 (67.2 %) correctly identified the year, 30 (25.9 %) recalled the month, and only 8 (6.9 %) remembered the day of the week. Moreover, only 7 children (26.9 %) accurately listed the events in the correct chronological order. These findings highlight that while children demonstrate high accuracy in recalling event details, their ability to accurately judge the timing and order of events remains limited. This study highlights the importance of considering children's memory development and time perception when assessing their testimony in legal settings. The findings suggest that while children may struggle with time-related details, their memory for event content remains relatively accurate, emphasizing the need to adapt questioning strategies in courtroom testimony. These results underscore the importance of developing child-friendly interviewing techniques that account for developmental differences in time perception and recall ability. This study provides valuable insights into the memory recall abilities of non-Western children and contributes to the broader understanding of children's autobiographical memory in legal contexts. • This study investigated how 8–12-year-old Korean children recall autobiographical events. • While most children accurately remembered event content, few could recall specific dates. • Only 26.9% of participants placed all events in the correct chronological order. • Temporal accuracy was linked to vocabulary ability rather than age. • The findings suggest that event content may remain legally reliable even without precise timing.