Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Episodic memory in 3- and 4-year-old children
1Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. hayne@psy.otago.ac.nz.
Developmental Psychobiology
|March 15, 2011
Summary
Children as young as 3 show basic episodic memory skills, recalling object locations. Verbal recall may underestimate this early memory ability in young children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Child Development
Background:
- Episodic memory, the ability to recall specific past events, has debated origins.
- Understanding its development in early childhood is crucial for cognitive science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ontogenic origins of episodic memory in 3- and 4-year-old children.
- To assess recall of what-where-when (www) information in a controlled task.
Main Methods:
- A hide-and-seek task was developed involving hiding toys and subsequent verbal and behavioral recall.
- Children recalled the toy, location, and temporal order of hiding events.
- Performance was compared between 3- and 4-year-olds.
Main Results:
- Four-year-olds recalled more information than 3-year-olds on the verbal test.
- On the behavioral test, 3-year-olds matched 4-year-olds on recalling 'where' but not 'when'.
- This suggests a developmental progression in episodic memory components.
Conclusions:
- Children demonstrate rudimentary episodic memory skills by age 3.
- Verbal recall alone may underestimate young children's episodic memory capabilities.
- Behavioral recall offers a more comprehensive assessment of early episodic memory.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Autobiographical Memory
Autobiographical memory is a unique type of episodic memory that involves recollecting personal life experiences. It allows individuals to remember significant events from their past, creating a narrative of their lives. One interesting phenomenon related to autobiographical memory is the reminiscence bump. This effect refers to the tendency of adults to recall more events from their second and third decades of life — typically between ages 10 to 30 — than from other periods. This period is...
01:27Explicit Memories
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
01:17Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development
During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Exploration...
01:16Flashbulb Memory
A flashbulb memory is a highly vivid and detailed memory, often linked to events of significant emotional impact. These memories stand out in contrast to everyday memories due to their clarity and the precision with which they are recalled. The strong emotions associated with the event act as a catalyst, ensuring that specific details, such as one's location, actions, and even peripheral elements, are etched into memory with remarkable accuracy. For example, many people can vividly recall where...
01:18Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...