Visual Recognition Memory for Objects in Six- and Nine-Month-Old Infants

Abstract

Developmental trends in recognition memory were examined in typically-developing 6- and 9-month-old infants using the Visual Paired-Comparison task (VPC). The VPC exploits an infant's natural tendency to look longer at a novel stimulus than at a familiar one with which it has been paired. The results show that infants of both ages display a novelty preference (i.e., recognition memory) when the delay interval is 10 seconds or 5 minutes in duration. However, after a delay of 1 week, 6-month-old infants are performing at chance levels of responding while 9-month-old infants tend to look longer at the familiar stimulus. The possibility that the younger infants' performance reflects forgetting while the older infants are updating memory is discussed. The importance of assessing infant recognition memory is discussed in light of recent findings that this measure has predictive reliability for cognitive function in later childhood.