Abstract
This chapter focuses on the state of research and theory concerning relations among emotion, developmental context, and memory in development, with a particular emphasis on how psychobiological processes play an integral role in these relations. Because memory is a skill relying heavily on a variety of cognitive, social, and biological factors, it posits that a dynamic systems framework is essential to understanding the development of memory for emotional and stressful experiences. The chapter begins with an overview of this theoretical framework in the context of emotional memory. It then turns to factors within the dynamic model by providing an overview of the psychophysiological systems involved in emotional memory. With this lens, memory for emotional experiences is further considered, beginning with the nature of the emotional event itself. Next, the chapter reviews developmental and individual differences related to children's processing of emotional experiences, focusing on individual differences related to social and cognitive processes and emotion regulation. The chapter concludes with applications of this model to clinical and legal domains and suggestions for new directions of future research.