A new study by Yale researchers shows that infants can form memories earlier than previously thought, offering insight into how memories are encoded in the first years of life. Published in Science, the study finds that when an infant’s hippocampus is more active while viewing an image, they are more likely to recognize that image later.
The research challenges the phenomenon of “infantile amnesia,” which refers to our inability to remember early childhood events. Studying this is difficult due to infants being pre-verbal, making it hard to assess memory. “Episodic memories are challenging to study in babies who cannot describe them,” said Nick Turk-Browne, a Yale professor and senior author of the study.
The study, led by Tristan Yates, focused on infants aged four months to two years. The babies were shown new images and later presented with those images alongside new ones. Researchers found that infants looked longer at familiar images, indicating recognition.
The team used fMRI to measure hippocampal activity, discovering that more activity in the hippocampus when infants first saw an image led to longer looking times later. This activity was strongest in the posterior part of the hippocampus, linked to episodic memory in adults.
The findings were most evident in infants older than 12 months, suggesting that episodic memory develops around this age. The study adds to previous research showing that younger infants engage in “statistical learning,” recognizing patterns across events, which involves a different part of the hippocampus.
While these memories may fade as infants grow, Turk-Browne suggests they might remain but be inaccessible to adults. Ongoing research is exploring whether early memories persist into preschool years.
This study provides new insights into how infants form and retain memories, challenging existing ideas about early cognitive development.
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