Barr Rachel, Rovee-Collier Carolyn, Campanella Jennifer
Department of Psychology Georgetown University.
Department of Psychology Rutgers University.
Infancy. 2005 May;7(3):263-283. doi: 10.1207/s15327078in0703_3. Epub 2005 May 1.
Past research using a deferred imitation task has shown that 6-month-olds remember a 3-part action sequence for only 1 day. The concept of a time window suggests that there is a limited period within which additional information can be integrated with a prior memory. Its width tracks the forgetting function of the memory. This study asked if retrieving the memory of the modeled actions at the end of the time window protracts its retention, if the type of retrieval (active or passive) differentially influences retention, and if the retrieval delay influences its specificity. In Experiment 1, 6-month-olds either imitated the modeled actions (active retrieval group) or merely watched them modeled again (passive retrieval group) 1 day after the original demonstration. Both groups showed deferred imitation after 10 days. In Experiment 2, 6-month-olds who repeatedly retrieved the memory at or near the end of the time window deferred imitation for 2.5 months. In Experiment 3,6-month-olds spontaneously generalized imitation late in the time window after 1 prior retrieval, whether it was active or passive. These studies reveal that the retention benefit of multiple retrievals late in the time window is huge. Because most retrievals are undoubtedly latent, the contribution of repeated events to the growth of the knowledge base early in infancy has been greatly underestimated.
过去使用延迟模仿任务的研究表明，6个月大的婴儿只能记住一个由三个动作组成的序列一天。时间窗口的概念表明，存在一个有限的时间段，在此期间，额外的信息可以与先前的记忆整合。其宽度跟踪记忆的遗忘功能。本研究探讨了在时间窗口结束时检索模仿动作的记忆是否会延长其保持时间，检索类型（主动或被动）是否会对保持产生不同影响，以及检索延迟是否会影响其特异性。在实验1中，6个月大的婴儿在最初示范1天后，要么模仿示范动作（主动检索组），要么只是再次观看示范动作（被动检索组）。两组在10天后都表现出延迟模仿。在实验2中，在时间窗口结束时或接近结束时反复检索记忆的6个月大婴儿延迟模仿了2.5个月。在实验3中，6个月大的婴儿在有过一次主动或被动检索后，在时间窗口后期自发地进行了模仿泛化。这些研究表明，在时间窗口后期进行多次检索对记忆保持的益处巨大。由于大多数检索无疑是隐性的，重复事件对婴儿早期知识库增长的贡献被大大低估了。
