Science Weekly
Where do our early childhood memories go?
Mar 25, 2025
Nick Turk-Browne, a Yale psychology and neuroscience professor, delves into the enigma of infantile amnesia—our inability to recall early childhood memories. He explores the role of the hippocampus in memory formation and discusses groundbreaking fMRI research on how infants begin to form episodic memories. Turk-Browne considers the implications of language and self-awareness in memory development, revealing how this phenomenon shapes our identities and challenges traditional views of early memory retention.
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Quick takeaways
- Recent research indicates that infantile amnesia may be due to difficulties in memory retrieval rather than a failure to create memories.
- The hippocampus plays a crucial role in memory encoding, with its development influencing the ability to form and access early childhood memories.
Deep dives
The Concept of Infantile Amnesia
Infantile amnesia refers to the phenomenon where individuals are unable to recall memories from their early childhood, typically before the age of three or four. Research suggests that while infants learn critical information about their environment, such as emotional bonds and language, these specific episodic memories do not seem to be retained. The term was first coined by a psychologist more than a century ago, and despite advances in neuroscience, the exact reasons behind this lack of memory retention remain largely unresolved. Studies indicate that although infants are learning and processing a wealth of information during this crucial developmental period, accessing these memories later in life is highly challenging.
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