Memory Development

Question 1

infantile amnesia

Answer 1

the inability to remember events from early in one’s life

Question 2

can infants form long-lasting memories?

Answer 2

yes

Question 3

how is memory in infancy studied?

Answer 3

• conjugate reinforcement paradigm

- imitation paradigm

Question 4

conjugate reinforcement paradigm

Answer 4

baby learns the association between kicking and mobile moving

• tests whether babies can retain the association
• after 9 mins of removing the ribbon, babies kick more to try and make the things move, showing they retain the memory

Question 5

imitation paradigm

Answer 5

• make short, simple tasks and test whether babies can reproduce/imitate them
• help us understand how babies represents events

Question 6

Why does infantile amnesia occur?

Answer 6

personal experiences from our earliest years usually can’t be recalled, because of inadequate language or inadequate sense of self

Question 7

what factors affect memory functioning during childhood?

Answer 7

• precision

- memory strategies

Question 8

what is the role of strategies in memory development?

Answer 8

activities that improve remembering: rehearsal, organization, elaboration

Question 9

How does strategy use change with age?*

Answer 9

• as children grow, they use more effective strategies for remembering
• children’s growing factual knowledge of the world allows them to organize info more completely

Question 10

What is the role of knowledge in memory development?

Answer 10

• organize info that is to be remembered
• it improves memory
• can distort memory by causing info that does not conform to their knowledge or to remember events that are part of their knowledge but that did not actually take place

Question 11

In what instances would childrenshow better memory than adults?

Answer 11

if children had prior knowledge that helped them organize and give meaning to the patterns, and thus could recognize and then recall the whole configuration instead of many isolated pieces.

Question 12

What is the role of metamemory in memory development?

Answer 12

the capacity to assess the accuracy of our memory, subjectively

Question 13

What is the relation between metacognitive knowledge, and cognitive self-regulation?*

Answer 13

• metacognitive knowledge: a person’s knowledge and awareness of cognitive processes
• cognitive self regulation: skill at identifying goals, selecting effective strategies, and accurate monitoring

Question 14

metamemory work

Answer 14

a person’s informal understanding of memory

-includes the ability to diagnose memory problems accurately and to monitor the effectiveness of memory strategies

Question 15

How does metamemory influence effective and ineffective strategies?*

Answer 15

• if strategy works = effective and continue to use it

- if strategy doesn’t work = ineffective and start the process to find new strategy

Question 16

How does metamemory change with age in younger children? (Hembacher & Ghett, 2014)

Answer 16

• 3 yr olds gave the same level of confidence regardless whether they were remembering something they experienced twice, once or a mistaken = they did not differentiate between their confidence
• 5 yr olds show strong difference btw a memory they had that was strong (object seen twice) vs a mistake= more confident when reporting an accurate memory vs a mistake

Question 17

What are the brain structures/regions involved in memory development?*

Answer 17

hippocampus, frontal cortex

Question 18

What is the role of precision with regards to memory development?

Answer 18

memories become more precise because children become better at retaining

Question 19

autobiographical memory

Answer 19

a person’s memory of the significant events and experiences of his or her own life

Question 20

autobiographical memory why is it important?

Answer 20

• helps people construct a personal life history

- allows people to relate their experiences to others, creating socially shared memories

Question 21

how does a sense of self impact autobiographical memory

Answer 21

the self provides a personal timeline that anchor’s a child’s recall of the past (and anticipation of the future)

-contribute to the emergence of autobiographical memory

Question 22

how can parents impact autobiographical memory

Answer 22

• parents talk about past events in detail

- encourage children to expand their description of past events by using open-ended questions.