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Updated: Dec 26, 2025
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
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Children's Memory for Temporal Information: The Roles of Temporal Language and Executive Function
Martha E Arterberry1, Eliana J Albright2
1Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, USA.
The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|March 19, 2020
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Memory for event order develops later than factual recall.
- Understanding temporal concepts like 'before' and 'after' is crucial for memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors supporting children's memory for event sequences.
- To differentiate the roles of executive functions and temporal understanding in event-order memory.
Main Methods:
- Tested 40 children (ages 3-6) on storybook event recall using visual timelines and recognition tasks.
- Assessed understanding of 'before'/'after', inhibition (Day/Night Stroop), and cognitive shifting (Dimensional Change Card Sort).
Main Results:
- Older children showed better performance across all tasks.
- Cognitive shifting, not temporal understanding or inhibition, significantly predicted memory for event order.
Conclusions:
- Difficulty in recalling event order in children may stem from developing general cognitive abilities, specifically cognitive shifting.
- This suggests a link between executive functions and the development of sequential memory.
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