A Yale-led study challenges the idea that infant memory merely forms and fades due to early memory gaps. The research suggests that memories can begin encoding as early as 12 months, while retrieval skills may be the main reason earlier memories become harder to access. This reframes how we understand memory development in the first years of life.
For Thai families, the findings offer practical implications for early childhood education and parenting. If infants can form memories earlier than previously thought, educators and caregivers can design activities that nurture memory growth and recognition from a very young age. Thai classrooms can incorporate culturally meaningful games, stories, and heritage experiences to support cognitive development from infancy.
The study reveals that the hippocampus, a central brain region for episodic memory, is not fully mature in infants but remains active during memory encoding. Infants could recognize faces, objects, or scenes they had seen before, indicating retention of visual information. Researchers achieved this with awake infants using functional magnetic resonance imaging, a notable milestone given the challenges of scanning young children.
Researchers differentiate episodic memory—recollections of specific events, such as a family outing in Bangkok—from statistical learning, which involves recognizing patterns like familiar routes or routines. Statistical learning appears to develop earlier in the anterior hippocampus, underpinning early language and conceptual foundations.
Leading the study, Professor Nick Turk-Browne notes that memory traces may form earlier than once thought, but the capacity to retrieve them likely declines over time. Ongoing work aims to determine whether these traces endure longer than expected, potentially into preschool years when retrieval demands grow.
The findings extend beyond science. They highlight the importance of enriched, culturally resonant environments that use play, interactive storytelling, and heritage-inspired experiences—strategies that could boost learning for Thai children from infancy.
If episodic memories remain encoded but are hard to retrieve, researchers may develop targeted interventions to improve retrieval. This work could eventually inform new educational tools and therapies for early learners in Thailand and around the world.
Thai parents can draw encouragement from these insights to provide stimulating, culturally meaningful experiences for their infants. Rich sensory environments, local storytelling, music, and exploration of Thai environments may support cognitive development and memory skills in the earliest months and years.
The Science journal publication underscores ongoing research into memory development and its potential to transform early education globally, including in Thai classrooms and homes.