Representational momentum in children: dynamic information and analogue representation

Two groups of children and a control group of adults completed a visual memory task previously shown to produce representational momentum in adults. In the task, a computer-animated target was shown moving either horizontally or vertically, and the target vanished without warning. After the target vanished, observers indicated the location at which it had vanished. Both children and adults exhibited representational momentum, i.e., indicated locations slightly beyond where the target actually disappeared, and the magnitude of representational momentum was larger for younger children than adults. Implications of the results for issues of sensitivity to dynamics and for reliance on analogue representation are discussed.