The distribution of early childhood memories

Memory. 2000 Jul;8(4):265-9. doi: 10.1080/096582100406810.

Abstract

The quantitative distribution of autobiographical memories for the first decade of life is described. The distribution, based on over 11,000 autobiographical memories from age 10 and younger from published studies, is nearly identical for males and females, for participants of different ages, and for different methods of collecting data, including using words to cue memories from anywhere in the lifespan or from just the childhood years, exhaustive listing of all early memories, and interviews.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cues
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Memory*
  • Middle Aged
  • Sex Factors