The effects of size and color cues on the delayed response of very young children

Abstract

Sixteen children each at 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age participated in a four-choice delayed reaction task to assess memory for location of a hidden object. On one-third of the trials, only place cues were available; on another third, size cues were added; on the remaining third, color cues were added. All age groups benefited from added visual cues on the test trials, with size cues being particularly facilitating. At the end of the test trials, two additional trials were presented in which the size or color cues were surreptitiously switched so that they were no longer redundant with place cues. Only the oldest children were likely to respond directly to a visual cue when in conflict with place cues. The results support a developmental model suggesting a shift from reliance on place cues. to greater reliance on other associated visual cues, in memory for locating a hidden object.