Collective remembering in the communicative regulation of group action - A functional approach

Starting from a review of existing literature on collective or group memory, an action-theoretical approach to the study of verbal remembering in task-oriented groups is presented. Memory processes on the group level are part of group communication and as such are functionally related to the regulation of group action and achievement of group goals. This was investigated in a simulated group action situation: Nine structured 4-person groups managed a computer simulation together Task-related communication was subjected to content analysis to isolate memory utterances and collective memory processes, that is, sequences of thematically homogenous communicative references to past events. Different qualitative aspects of these collective memory processes (types of content) are investigated in relation to their function for ongoing action regulation.