How age changes in knowledge base contribute to the development of children's memory: An interpretive review

Abstract

The influence of differences in knowledge base on children's memory performance is reviewed. It is proposed that age differences in semantic memory affect the ease with which information in permanent memory can be activated, which in turn influences the amount of mental effort available for other cognitive operations. Having detailed knowledge about a set of items can influence memory performance by (a) increasing the accessibility of specific items (item-specific effects), (b) the relatively effortless activation of relations among sets of items (nonstrategic organization), or (c) facilitating the use of deliberate memory strategies. Concerning the latter, children are not expected to use sophisticated mnemonics until processing of individual items requires sufficiently little mental effort. As items and relations among items in children's semantic memories become more elaboratively represented and easily activated, processing efficiency increases and deliberate strategies are more apt to be used.