Most of us don’t remember much of anything before the age of 3, and if we think we do, that’s probably because those memories were created after the fact, for instance, by exposure to family photos and stories. In fact, even till around 7, our memory ability is still developing. But new research suggests that it’s not because we never formed those memories. Instead, it looks like the brain may selectively forget or bury them for some evolutionary benefit – like allowing “the brain to put more computing power toward figuring out how the world works,” as University of Maryland child psychologist Tracy Riggins suggests or to develop context which is used to frame and categorize memories.
As researchers ponder the purpose of what Freud called “infantile amnesia,” they are also trying to figure out how it happens. Perhaps the rapid growth of new neurons in young children overwrites memories – in which case, maybe they’re still there, just not easily accessible – an intriguing possibility if it also means that the lost memories of people living with Alzheimer’s could someday be recoverable.
To learn more about this fascinating area of study, read the full article from Science here.