Research in aging has placed considerable faith in data collected from the recollections and reminiscences of older people. Retrospective reports were verified against previously collected data to determine the accuracy of topical information provided by anamnestic reports as well as the types of persons most likely to be accurate reporters. Subjects were a representative sample of parents interviewed about the happiness of their own childhood at three different times over a span of 50 years. Results indicated that perceptions of the past changed over time and showed an internal consistency. However, findings suggest that further research is needed to determine what causes adults to change their earlier perceptions in a particular direction. (KMF)