Babies’ Memory Development Starts Early, Study Finds
- A new study published in the journal Science, building upon previous behavioral research, indicates that babies indeed develop memories.
- The early years of life are a period of intense learning, yet humans generally do not remember them, a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia.
- I've always been fascinated by this mysterious hole we have in our personal history.
Study Reveals Infants Develop Memories Earlier than Previously Thought
Table of Contents
- Study Reveals Infants Develop Memories Earlier than Previously Thought
- Study Reveals infants Develop Memories Earlier Than Previously Thought: A Q&A
- Introduction
- Key Questions and Answers
- Do babies form memories?
- If babies make memories, why can’t we remember being a baby?
- What part of the brain is involved in infant memory?
- How did researchers study infant memory?
- At what age do these memories seem to fade?
- How does this study change our understanding of infant memory?
- What are the implications of this research?
- What are the key differences between old and new theories of infantile amnesia?
- Conclusion
Published: March 20, 2025
A new study published in the journal Science, building upon previous behavioral research, indicates that babies indeed develop memories.
The early years of life are a period of intense learning, yet humans generally do not remember them, a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia. However, the study in Science demonstrates that babies do form memories.
The central question remains: why are these memories so difficult to access later in life?
I’ve always been fascinated by this mysterious hole we have in our personal history.Nick Turk-Browne, professor of psychology at Yale and lead author of the study
Around the age of one, children are remarkable learners, acquiring language, walking, and recognizing objects and social connections. Yet, we don’t remember any of these experiences.
Sigmund Freud attributed this to repression, but modern theories suggest the hippocampus, crucial for episodic memory and not fully developed in early childhood, is the primary factor.
researchers based their findings on earlier behavioral studies showing that babies, who cannot verbalize their memories, tend to look longer at familiar objects they remember. Concurrently, recent brain activity studies on rats have shown that engrams, cell configurations storing memories, form in young rats but become inaccessible over time.
Observing babies in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine,which tracks blood flow to monitor brain activity,posed a significant challenge. To overcome this, the research team employed techniques refined over time, including pacifiers, stuffed animals, supportive pillows, and psychedelic patterns in the background to maintain the children’s attention.
“Capacity to Encode Episodic Phenomena”
Researchers conducted hundreds of sessions to compensate for blurred images. In total, 26 babies, half under one year old and half over one year old, participated in the brain scanning experiment. Initially, images of faces or objects were shown. Later, a previously seen image was shown alongside a new one.
We measured the time spent scrutinizing known images,and that’s our standard for understanding their memory of the image in question.Researcher involved in the study
Examining brain activity in response to a memory, scientists confirmed that the hippocampus was active in memory encoding from a young age. This was the case for 11 of the 13 children older than one year, but not for those younger. They also found that babies with better memorization skills exhibited greater hippocampal activity.
What we can conclude from our study is that babies have the capacity to encode episodic memories in the hippocampus from about 12 months.Nick Turk-Browne
The ingenuity of their experimental approach cannot be underestimated,
wrote researchers Adam Ramsaran and Paul Frankland in a commentary accompanying the publication. Though, the mystery remains regarding the fate of these early memories. Perhaps they are never fully consolidated into long-term storage, or perhaps they are present but become inaccessible.
turk-Browne leans toward the latter hypothesis and is leading a new study to determine if babies,toddlers,and children recognize previously seen images. Initial results suggest that memories may persist until the age of three before fading. The researcher is keen to discover if fragments could be reactivated later in life.
Study Reveals infants Develop Memories Earlier Than Previously Thought: A Q&A
Introduction
A new study published in the journal Science has shed light on the engaging topic of infant memory. This research challenges previous assumptions and offers exciting insights into the early growth of memory.Infants develop memories earlier than previously thought, but understanding why we don’t remember our early years is a complex and intriguing question.
Key Questions and Answers
Do babies form memories?
Yes, the study in Science confirms that babies do form memories. Researchers have found that babies have the capacity to encode episodic memories in the hippocampus from around 12 months old. This finding builds upon previous behavioral studies that showed babies look longer at familiar objects, suggesting they remember them even if they cannot verbalize those memories.
If babies make memories, why can’t we remember being a baby?
This is a central question in the field of memory research. The phenomenon of not remembering the first few years of life is called infantile amnesia. several hypotheses have been proposed, and the study suggests that it might be a memory retrieval problem rather than a complete absence of memory formation.
What part of the brain is involved in infant memory?
The hippocampus, a crucial brain structure for forming episodic memories, is active in memory encoding in infants. The study showed that the hippocampus was active in memory encoding from a young age.
How did researchers study infant memory?
Studying babies in an fMRI machine (which tracks brain activity) presented a important challenge. The research team overcame this by using various techniques, including:
Pacifiers
Stuffed animals
Supportive pillows
Psychedelic patterns in the background
These methods helped maintain the children’s attention during the brain scans. They conducted hundreds of sessions to compensate for blurred images.
At what age do these memories seem to fade?
Initial results suggest that memories may persist until the age of three before fading. Researchers are further investigating this to determine if fragments of these memories could be reactivated later in life.
How does this study change our understanding of infant memory?
This study provides evidence that contradicts the idea that babies are incapable of forming memories. It shows that babies as young as 12 months old can encode episodic memories. this research also contributes to the ongoing conversation about infantile amnesia, suggesting that the memories might be present but inaccessible.
What are the implications of this research?
This research highlights the importance of the early years in brain development and memory formation. The results could inform future studies on memory development, cognitive development, and potential interventions for memory-related issues later in life.
What are the key differences between old and new theories of infantile amnesia?
| Theory | Old Theory (Freud) | Modern Theory |
| :—————– | :—————————————————– | :————————————————– |
| Explanation | Attributed to repression. | Suggests the hippocampus (crucial for memory) plays a role and is not fully developed in early childhood. |
| Focus | Psychological suppression of early experiences. | Biological factors and brain development |
Conclusion
This study provides compelling evidence that babies start forming memories much earlier than previously believed and offers valuable insights into the captivating mystery of infantile amnesia. This research opens the door to a deeper understanding of how memories develop and the complex processes behind what we remember and what we forget.