Learning to Remember Words: Memory Constraints as Double‐Edged Sword Mechanisms of Language Development

Word learning researchers have historically been interested in elucidating the mechanisms that allow children to encode words. Recent research has moved beyond the moment of encoding to examine the processes underlying children’s retention and retrieval of words across time. This work has revealed significant memory constraints on children’s word learning. That is, children struggle to retain and retrieve newly learned words. This review outlines research suggesting that describing these processes as memory constraints may mischaracterize how memory shapes language development. Instead, memory constraints are more accurately characterized as double‐edged sword mechanisms; limited memory abilities likely hinder and promote children’s word learning simultaneously. The review concludes with suggestions for developing a theory of how children learn to remember words.