Age differences in generalization, memory specificity and their overnight fate in childhood

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/y6ndr
• Publication Date: 2022-06-21T12:02:04Z
• Authors: Elisa Buchberger; Ann-Kathrin Joechner; Chi T. Ngo; Ulman Lindenberger; Markus Werkle-Ber...
• Keywords: Behavioral Neuroscience; Developmental Neuroscience; Educational Psychology; Memory; Cognitive Neuroscience; 4. Education; Developmental Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Learning; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Neuroscience

Adaptive memories are formed in the face of a fundamental tension: extracting commonalities across experiences to generate novel inferences (i.e., generalization), while simultaneously forming separate representations similar events memory specificity). Theoretical models suggest that specific initially encoded as hippocampus-dependent episodic and slowly become amenable generalization through consolidation. Post-learning sleep facilitates such consolidation processes. However, can also occur rapidly during wakefulness. Contemporary propose rapid relies on retrieval episodes. In sample 141 four- eight-year-old children, we investigated whether (i) age differentially relates specificity, (ii) is contingent different aspects past experiences, (iii) effect sleep-filled delay specificity differs age. We found age-related differences with improvements being more pronounced than specificity. Unlike prior evidence adults, children’s success was retrieving object conceptual properties inter-object semantic proximity, but not perceptual attributes or surrounding contexts. Further, older children were likely retain general after an overnight delay. gains differed functions: Compared younger showed greater generalized, memories. These findings reveal those upon which draw when creating inferences, effects interact