Tested predictions of dynamic field theory in study of 3-year-olds' location memory errors in task with homogeneous task space. Found that young children's spatial memory responses are affected by delay- and experience-dependent processes as well as the geometric structure of the task space. Both dynamic field theory and category adjustment models…

Studies the allocation of attention of 100 four- and five-year-olds on a selective attention task. Results suggest that preschoolers are capable of using selective strategies when the task is made meaningful by the inclusion of a familiar script that provides supportive cognitive context. (RJC)

To examine the role of cognitive skill and racial stereotyping in Euro-American children's processing of race-related information, 75 Euro-American children, aged 4 to 9 years, were asked to recall test stories that were either consistent or inconsistent with cultural racial stereotypes. As predicted, lower degrees of racial stereotyping were…

Twenty-four preschool-age girls repeatedly experienced an initially novel episode in a laboratory setting. Each child's knowledge of the episode was assessed in an effort to examine the development of the children's scripts for a recurring event. (PCB)

Differences in basic memory processes between maltreated and nonmaltreated children were examined in an experiment in which middle-socioeconomic-status (SES; N=60), low-SES maltreated (N=48), and low-SES nonmaltreated (N=51) children (ages 57, 89, and 10-12 years) studied 12 Deese-Roediger-McDermott lists. Using recall and recognition measures,…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which verbal processes influence recognition memory for visual scenes in preschool children. Children were shown line drawings of 12 pairs of items and were asked to describe them. One week later, a recognition test was given in which ability to remember elaborated and unelaborated pictures…

Recognition memory performances of preschool children were compared in nine combinations of visual-only, verbal-only, and combined visual-verbal presentation test conditions. Subjects generally performed at a high level of correct responding. Verbal-only presentation resulted in less correct recognition than did either visual-only or combined…

Presents two experiments which examine fifth-grade children's memory for stereotypic and reverse stereotypic and sex role content in their reading material. (Author/JMB)

Videotapes of elementary school children watching a standard 15-minute television presentation were analyzed for attention to television, viewing patterns, and alternate activities. Recognition memory of auditory and visual content of the commercials and of the products was tested. Children's behavior during the program and during the commercials…

Two studies examined constructive memory in sentence-recognition tasks as a function of lexical factors, logical ability to make transitive inferences, memory load, and age (kindergarten, first, and third grade children.) (Author/JMB)

Two experiments examined preschoolers' visual and verbal coding processes in a pictorial short-term memory task. Results of both experiments indicated that high visual similarity had a deleterious effect on recall accuracy regardless of the verbal codability of the stimuli. (Author/JMB)

Data suggesting that different brain circuits may underlie different forms of learning and memory are reviewed. Several current theories of learning and memory with respect to hippocampal and other brain circuit involvement are considered. (PCB)

Investigated the role of memory development, especially the developmental change in reported general and specific memories, in children's and adults' concepts of themselves. The proportion of general responses was found to be high and stable across all ages; the proportion of specific responses increased with age. (PCB)

Effects of the importance of plot-relevant information on 4- to 6-year-old children's memory for four televised stories was examined in two experiments. Free recall and cued recall of idea units rated for importance by college students were assessed. Recognition following failed cued recall was also assessed. (Author/BN)

Examines developmental change in processes used to retrieve information from semantic memory. Twenty-nine 8-, 12-, and 21-year-olds were asked to name as many animals and pieces of furniture as they could in separate 7-minute intervals. Results suggested that information in semantic memory changes with age, but that retrieval processes do not.…