How is knowledge represented in the brain?

There’s that term again: representation! To answer this question, you need to know the two general ways that information in long-term memory is represented. You also need to know the subtypes of memory under each general category. Finally what are the different types of amnesia and what can these tell us about how knowledge is represented in the brain?

How do cognitive developmentalists account for our inability to remember events from infancy and childhood?

Define infantile amnesia and the types of memories that are specifically missing from infancy until about 3.5 to 4 years of age. Define autobiographical memory. Describe three theoretical approaches to explaining infantile amnesia including: sense of self, changes in information processing, and hippocampal neurogenesis.

How do developmental changes in children’s event memory impact eyewitness memory?

Describe what studies probing children’s eyewitness memories have found with regard to how much children remember and how accurate they are. What do we know about how long memories last and how can this be explained by fuzzy-trace theory? Describe the two sets of factors that exert substantial influence on children’s eyewitness testimony. Specifically, what are the roles of child background knowledge and the characteristics of the interview in shaping children’s reports?

What is meant by event memory and how does it develop?

What does it mean when we say that event memory is constructive in nature? What is script-based memory and what are its benefits for children? Describe how parents’ role in “teaching” children to remember is reminiscent of what we learned from Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective in Chapter 3. Give some concrete examples from the text or from your own life of how parents support children’s memory development. Finally, according to Gopnik, how does children’s autobiographical memory differ from that of adults?