RETENTION OF SOURCE MEMORIES IN PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

Abstract

Children encounter varying challenges in retaining similar memories linked to specific sources. To distinguish between memories, they may make connections between specific contextual characteristics of a memory, which allow them to retrieve memories after longer delays. In the present study, we examine how naps influence long-term retention of similar and dissimilar source memories in regularly napping children and whether preschool-aged children who no longer nap retain long-term information. Children were exposed to a source memory task, where they identified learned associations between two similar objects and two dissimilar objects, assigned to two puppets, and were tested 24 hours later. To assess the influence of naps on their retention, children who regularly nap either stayed awake for at least four hours or napped within two hours following the initial task. We predicted that children who nap following the initial task will have greater perfect recall of the learned associations than children that stay awake, since children that nap have less mature cognitive networks, and must nap to retain learned information (Li et al., 2015). We found that children who napped after learning had significant retention of source memories 24-hours later; whereas children who stayed awake after learning performed no greater than chance following a 24-hour delay, suggesting that regularly napping children require naps to retain learned source information. To assess learning in children who do not regularly nap, children stayed awake for at least four hours following the initial task. We predicted that these children would not need to nap to sustain learning, since their cognitive networks have matured, not requiring them to nap soon after learning (Riggins & Spencer, 2020). We found that older children had significant retention of learned source information following a 24-hour delay; whereas younger children performed no greater than chance, suggesting that younger children who no longer nap, may still require a nap after learning.