Organizational Changes in the Memory of Young Children

Abstract

A set of 25 pictures of common objects classifiable either perceptually on the basis of five color categories or semantically on the basis of five categories of meaning were presented in a recall task to 4- and 5-yr.-old children. In one condition the items were presented sequentially, and in a second condition they were viewed simultaneously. Following free recall, half of the subjects received memory prompts based on the color categories and half received prompts based on the semantic categories. Four-yr.-olds displayed more color category clustering in free recall than 5-yr.-olds, but remembered fewer items with and without the aid of memory prompts. Five-yr.-olds showed a trend toward greater semantic clustering than 4-yr.-olds. Finally, more semantic clustering was observed following sequential than simultaneous item presentation, and semantic memory prompts evoked greater recall than color prompts. Developmental changes in organizational strategies were discussed.