Memory in Children
Memory in children has been a popular research topic for many years. However, it is difficult to study because unlike adults, many children cannot verbally communicate their memories and they may not fully understand the instructions in a study. However, it has been discovered that memory in children often goes against the stereotypes our culture has set. Recently there has been evidence that memory begins in the womb, and even infants can recognize familiar faces and places. However, long-term memory and working memory in children are not at the same level as adults. A child's brain is significantly smaller than the adult brain and does not have the benefit of the many connections made over one's lifetime. In some cases, this can serve the child well by freeing the mind from heuristics and memory strategies that may not fully fit a situation, but in most areas a child's inability to perform memory strategies impairs short and long-term memory. Impairments are especially significant in working memory where a 9 year old can remember 3 times the amount of numbers as a 2 year old. Also,children asked to remember objects do better with recognition than recall. Good memory skills are correlated with performance in school, so memory and attention problems are likely to hurt school performance.
This article contains information on the development of infant memory and tips to help foster the growth of good memory skills.
2) Audiospatial and Visuospatial Working Memory in 6–13 Year Old School Children
This article contains information on the neurological foundations of childhood memory and the differences in memory at different ages and for different genders.
3) Working Memory and Behavior in Children
This article discusses the connection between low working memory and ADHD and other behavioral problems.
4) Working Memory Skills in the Classroom
This webpage has information on how to improve problems with attention and learning difficulties.
5) Children Can Have Better Memory Than Adults
This article shows that children can have better memory than adults in situations where induction is involved.
6) Childhood Stress May be Related to Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline Later in Life
This article contains research linking childhood stress to memory problems in middle age.
7) Children May be More Reliable in Court Cases
This article explains that because children remember events based more on what happened than the meaning of what happened, they may be more reliable witnesses in a court case.
8) Active Children Have Better Memory
This article shows that children that are physically fit have a larger hippocampus and perform better on memory tests.
This video shows that as early as 30 weeks, infants begin to show signs of short-term memory.
This webpage details the many ways memories are encoded in the young brain and the differences between childhood and adult memory.
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