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Retrieval-induced forgetting in young children

  • A prominent theory of cognitive development attributes the poor performance that children show in many cognitive tasks to a general lack of inhibitory control. We tested this theory by examining children’s inhibitory capabilities in retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF), a memory task in which selective retrieval of previously studied material causes forgetting of related, nonretrieved material. Such forgetting is often attributed to inhibitory control processes, which supposedly suppress the nonretrieved items’ memory representation. We examined RIF in kindergartners, second graders, and adults, using both recall and recognition testing. Although all three age groups showed significant RIF in recall, only adults and second graders, but not kindergartners, showed RIF in recognition. Because inhibition-based RIF should be present in recall and recognition, these findings indicate that in adults and second graders, but not in kindergartners, RIF is mediated by inhibition. The results support the view of inefficient inhibitory processes in young children’s cognition.

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Metadaten
Author:Alp AslanORCiD, Karl-Heinz T. Bäuml
URL:https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.17.5.704
Parent Title (English):Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Document Type:Article (peer reviewed)
Language:English
Publication Year:2010
Tag:False Alarm Rate; Final Recall Test; Item Recognition; Retrieval Practice; Unpracticed Item
Volume:17
Issue:5
First Page:704
Last Page:709
Peer reviewed:Ja