Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
12:48
Investigating Social Cognition in Infants and Adults Using Dense Array Electroencephalography (dEEG)
Published on: June 27, 2011
Patterns of brain-electrical activity during declarative memory performance in 10-month-old infants
Katherine C Morasch1, Martha Ann Bell
1Department of Psychology, 109 Williams Hall, Mail Code 0436, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. kacolo@vt.edu
Brain and Cognition
|September 30, 2009
Summary
Infants showing successful declarative memory, measured by deferred imitation, exhibited distinct brain electrical activity (EEG) patterns during memory retrieval compared to those who did not. This highlights neurobiological differences in infant memory development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Declarative memory, the ability to consciously recall facts and events, emerges in infancy.
- Deferred imitation tasks are commonly used to assess infant memory capabilities.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a measure of brain electrical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between brain electrical activity and declarative memory performance in 10-month-old infants.
- To identify neurophysiological markers associated with successful memory recall in early development.
Main Methods:
- A within-subjects deferred imitation task was administered to 10-month-old infants.
- Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during baseline, encoding, and retrieval phases.
- Infants were grouped based on ordered-recall performance after a 24-hour delay.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences in EEG were observed during the encoding phase.
- Infants with successful ordered-recall showed increased EEG activity from baseline to retrieval at anterior temporal locations.
- Infants without ordered-recall demonstrated no significant changes in EEG during retrieval.
Conclusions:
- Specific patterns of brain electrical activity during retrieval are linked to successful declarative memory in infants.
- These findings suggest distinct biobehavioral developments underlying declarative memory abilities in early childhood.
- EEG measures during retrieval may serve as an indicator of developing declarative memory systems.
