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How Do the Different Components of Episodic Memory Develop? Role of Executive Functions and Short‐Term Feature‐Binding Abilities
Author(s) -
Picard Laurence,
Cousin Sidonie,
GuilleryGirard Bérengère,
Eustache Francis,
Piolino Pascale
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01736.x
Subject(s) - memorization , psychology , cognitive psychology , episodic memory , recall , context (archaeology) , cognition , feature (linguistics) , encoding (memory) , short term memory , developmental psychology , executive functions , long term memory , working memory , neuroscience , linguistics , philosophy , biology , paleontology
This study investigated the development of all 3 components of episodic memory (EM), as defined by Tulving, namely, core factual content, spatial context, and temporal context. To this end, a novel, ecologically valid test was administered to 109 participants aged 4–16 years. Results showed that each EM component develops at a different rate. Ability to memorize factual content emerges early, whereas context retrieval abilities continue to improve until adolescence, due to persistent encoding difficulties (isolated by comparing results on free recall and recognition tasks). Exploration of links with other cognitive functions revealed that short‐term feature‐binding abilities contribute to all EM components, and executive functions to temporal and spatial context, although ability to memorize temporal context is predicted mainly by age.