Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Memory binding in early childhood: evidence for a retrieval deficit
Marianne E Lloyd1, Ayzit O Doydum, Nora S Newcombe
1Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ 07079, USA. lloydmar@shu.edu
Child Development
|September 22, 2009
Summary
Four-year-olds
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Memory-binding processes improve between ages 4 and 6.
- Previous studies suggest age-related improvements in memory binding.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate age-related differences in memory encoding versus retrieval.
- Determine the cause of memory deficits in 4-year-olds compared to 6-year-olds.
Main Methods:
- Compared working memory and long-term memory performance in 4- and 6-year-olds.
- Assessed memory for objects, backgrounds, and object-background combinations.
- Analyzed hits and false alarms separately.
Main Results:
- Four-year-olds matched 6-year-olds in working memory.
- Four-year-olds showed deficits in long-term memory for object-background combinations.
- This deficit was primarily due to increased false alarms in younger children.
Conclusions:
- Retrieval, not encoding, underlies 4-year-olds' memory-binding deficits.
- Separate analysis of hits and false alarms is crucial for studying memory development.
- Understanding retrieval processes is key to explaining memory improvements in early childhood.
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