This paper describes a series of studies which examine the early development of recall. Subjects were children about 2 1/2 and 5 years of age. Recall was tested on nine-item lists which were either composed of three objects from each of three conceptual categories or nine objects from nine different conceptual categories. Age differences were observed in level of recall. However, there was no evidence of age-related increases in active or deliberate strategy use. Parallel serial position curves, and comparable levels of clustering were obtained over the entire age range studied. Conceptual category effects were found on recall of even the youngest subjects. The children recalled more items from conceptually related than unrelated lists, responded more rapidly between adjacent pairs of conceptually related than unrelated items, produced above chance level conceptual clustering, profited from categorical blocking at presentation and from category cues at retrieval. A reliable Age X List Type interaction indicated that the presence of semantic relations in list materials facilitated older children's performance somewhat more than younger children's. Results suggest that early development of memory may be related to growth in the "knowing" component itself, rather than to growth in "knowing how to know." (Author/MS)