There are many aspects of life which require us to distinguish between memories of different events, such as deciding whether you locked the door or only intended to lock the door. Source monitoring, or identifying the source of a particular memory (was the event experienced? related by someone else? or simply imagined?) is a cognitive skill that develops across the life span. In this book, the first to integrate research on children’s source monitoring, readers will find an accessible overview of source-monitoring theory and findings from the research programs of leading investigators in this area. The programs of research cut across different methodologies (e.g., nomothetic, individual differences, clinical) and are applied to a wide range of issues in children’s lives. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of source monitoring on eyewitness memory and identification, learning and knowledge, and the development of a theory of mind.
