Study: Talking About Childhood Memories Helps Kids Retain Them

Tuesday, 31 May 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Can you recall your first memory from childhood? For years, researchers have puzzled over a phenomenon called infantile amnesia—the inability of kids to retain memories from their early years. But the Wall Street Journal says a new study has found that the reason we retain certain memories and not others has a lot to do with what we’re told by our parents.

A study comparing the childhood memories of Canadian and Chinese kids found that the Canadian ones fared much better when asked to recall events from their early lives, in which they were the star.  The memories recalled by Chinese kids were often centered around family or collective experiences. Scientists believe this is because Western parents tend to “to savor and tell stories about moments when a child said something funny or did something unusual, underscoring their individuality, while Asian cultures value collective experiences.” Expert suggest that parents, if they want their kids to remember something, discuss it in detail with them.