title: Age-related differences in memory expression during infancy: using eye-tracking to measure relational memory in 6- and 12-month-olds.
abstract: Relational memory, or the ability to bind components of an event into a network of linked representations, is a primary function of the hippocampus. Here we extend eye-tracking research showing that infants are capable of forming memories for the relation between arbitrarily paired scenes and faces, by looking at age-related changes in relational memory over the first year of life. Six- and 12-month-old infants were familiarized with pairs of faces and scenes before being tested with arrays of three familiar faces that were presented on a familiar scene. Preferential looking at the face that matches the scene is typically taken as evidence of relational memory. The results showed that while 6-month-old showed very early preferential looking when face/scene pairs were tested immediately, 12-month-old did not exhibit evidence of relational memory either immediately or after a short delay. Theoretical implications for the functional development of the hippocampus and practical implications for the use of eye tracking to measure memory during early life are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. jrichmond@psy.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jenny L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Power
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation
keywords: hippocampus; infant; learning; memory, eye-tracking