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Updated: Oct 28, 2026
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Memory for medical emergencies experienced by 1- and 2-year-olds
1Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada. carole@play.psych.mun.ca
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Traumatic injuries in children can impact memory recall.
- Understanding long-term memory in pediatric trauma patients is crucial for care.
- Age-related differences in verbal recall following trauma are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate long-term verbal recall of traumatic events in children of different age groups.
- To assess the accuracy of memory recall over time in pediatric trauma survivors.
- To explore the relationship between narrative skills and recall ability in young children.
Main Methods:
- Recruited children (13-34 months) experiencing trauma in an emergency room.
- Conducted interviews within days of injury and at 6, 12, and 18/24 months.
- Assessed verbal recall and accuracy of reported events.
Main Results:
- Youngest children (13-18 months) showed minimal long-term recall.
- Intermediate group (20-25 months) showed some delayed recall ability.
- Older children (26-34 months) with initial narrative skills had better recall, but with errors.
Conclusions:
- Age significantly influences long-term verbal memory of traumatic events in children.
- Narrative ability at the time of injury is a predictor of recall.
- Memory recall in pediatric trauma is variable and prone to inaccuracies.
Abstract:
Children (13-18 months, 20-25 months, and 26-34 months) who had experienced trauma injuries were recruited in a hospital Emergency Room and subsequently interviewed about them within days (if verbal) and after 6, 12, and 18 or 24 months. The youngest children demonstrated little long-term verbal recall, whereas a few children in the intermediate group, who could not narrate about past events at time of injury, could verbally recall the target events 18 months later. Most of the oldest children, who had narrative skills at time of injury, demonstrated good verbal recall 2 years later. Illustrative case histories were described. Accuracy of recall was low for the youngest children, and although the majority of older children's recalled information was accurate, there were still many errors.
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