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Episodic memory in 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children
Author(s) -
Hayne Harlene,
Imuta Kana
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20527
Subject(s) - recall , psychology , episodic memory , test (biology) , recall test , task (project management) , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , free recall , cognition , paleontology , management , neuroscience , economics , biology
There is considerable debate about the phylogenic and ontogenic origins of episodic memory. In the present experiment, we examined episodic memory in 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children. To do this, we developed a hide‐and‐seek task that allowed us to assess children's recall of the what‐where‐when (www) of the hiding event. In this task, the experimenter and the child hid three plush toys in three separate locations around the house. After a brief retention interval, children were asked to verbally recall, in order (i.e., when ), what toy was hiding where . Following this verbal test, children were given the opportunity to find the toys. On the verbal recall test, 4‐year‐olds reported more information than 3‐year‐olds. On the behavioral recall test, 3‐year‐olds performed equivalently to 4‐year‐olds on the where components of the test, however, their performance on the when component remained inferior to that of 4‐year‐olds. We conclude that, by the age of 3, children exhibit rudimentary episodic memory skills, and that strict reliance on verbal recall may underestimate their episodic memory ability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 53:317–322, 2011.