Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Factors influencing infants' ability to update object representations in memory.
1Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Cognitive Development
|September 20, 2013
Summary
Infants can update object memory when changes occur sequentially but struggle with alternating updates between locations. Connecting locations improved their ability, suggesting event construal impacts object representation flexibility.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Object Permanence
- Infant Cognition
Background:
- Infants demonstrate object permanence, remembering hidden objects and updating representations when items are added or removed.
- Factors influencing infants' updating abilities, particularly in complex scenarios, require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the flexibility of infants' object representation updating abilities.
- To investigate how the structure of an event influences infants' capacity to update memory for hidden objects.
Main Methods:
- A looking-time task was employed with 11-month-old infants.
- Experiments involved adding or subtracting objects from two distinct hidden arrays.
- Conditions varied the sequence and spatial relationship of updates between arrays.
Main Results:
- Infants successfully updated object representations when changes occurred successively within a single array.
- Infants failed to update representations when required to alternate updates between two separate arrays.
- Connecting the arrays spatially enabled infants to succeed in alternating update tasks.
Conclusions:
- Infants' interpretation of an event critically influences their ability to update memory representations.
- Success in updating object memory depends on whether the event is perceived as a continuous update to one array or requires revisiting separate arrays.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
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...
01:21The Nativist Approach
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...
01:30Information Processing Approach
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
01:30Impact of Schemas
Schemas are cognitive structures that provide a framework for interpreting and organizing social information. They help individuals navigate complex environments by offering expectations about people, events, and behaviors. Schemas influence attention, encoding, and retrieval processes, thereby shaping the entire trajectory of information processing in social contexts.Attention and Cognitive LoadDuring initial attention, schemas function as filters that prioritize schema-consistent information,...
01:25Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...