Memory for events and locations obtained in the context of elicited imitation: Evidence for differential retention in the second year of life

• Published in: Infant behavior & development Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 55 - 62
• Main Authors: Lukowski, Angela F., Garcia, M. Teresa Lechuga, Bauer, Patricia J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.02.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aging - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child Development; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Developmental psychology; Elicited imitation; Events; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Imitative Behavior; Infancy; Infant; Locations; Male; Memory; Memory - physiology; Mental Recall; Models, Statistical; Newborn. Infant; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Locations; Elicited imitation; Infancy; Events; Memory; Human; Context; Infant; Cognition; Experimental study; Imitation; Cognitive development; Episodic memory; Spatial memory
• DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2010.09.006
• ISSN: 0163-6383

▶ Long-term memory for events is more robust than memory for locations in infancy. ▶ Pronounced age effects were found on the location memory task at delayed recall. ▶ Better long-term retention of the event memory was not due to superior encoding. Previous research has suggested that infants may have more robust memory for past experiences relative to memory for locations that have been encountered previously. This assertion, however, primarily results from the comparison of data that were collected using different experimental procedures. In the present study, we examined memory for events and memory for locations in the context of elicited imitation. Specifically, 13-, 16-, and 20-month-old infants were tested for long-term memory for events and locations after between-subjects delays of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The results indicated that the event memory was retained over lengthier delays relative to the location memory, despite superior encoding of location information. The possible adaptive significance of long-term memory for events ontogenetically preceding long-term memory for locations is discussed.