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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 25, 2025

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Reward-motivated memories influence new learning across development.

Alexandra O Cohen¹, Camille V Phaneuf¹, Gail M Rosenbaum¹

¹Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.

Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)

|October 17, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Past rewards hinder new learning in children and adults. Individual differences in memory prioritization of rewards also impact learning performance across all ages.

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Last Updated: Aug 25, 2025

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

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Published on: April 28, 2016

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers

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The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

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Published on: July 8, 2015

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Previous rewarding experiences influence current choices.
Individual differences exist in how value transfers across contexts.
Reward sensitivity changes developmentally, affecting goal-directed behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how past reward associations impact current learning from childhood to adulthood.
To examine the role of individual differences in memory prioritization of rewards on new learning.

Main Methods:

Participants completed a reinforcement learning task with previously encountered (high/low reward) and novel stimuli.
Behavioral data analyzed to assess learning performance and memory prioritization.

Main Results:

Prior high-reward associations impeded learning across all age groups.
Higher prioritization of high-reward memories correlated with worse learning performance.
Adolescents showed impaired early learning irrespective of memory prioritization.

Conclusions:

Past reward associations proactively interfere with future learning from childhood to adulthood.
Individual differences in reward memory prioritization significantly influence new learning outcomes.