Most people remember little, if anything, from early childhood, a phenomenon known asinfantile amnesia.
Experts arent completely sure what causes infant amnesia, though its probably a mix of biological and psychological mechanisms.
Heres what to know.
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In 1935, Sigmund Freud suggested that we repress our earliest memories because of their potentially inappropriate sexual content.
Young children arent that interested in memory; they mostly just live in the moment, he says.
But then eventually, they learn that remembering experiences is a skill to master.
Here are some of the notable findings.
The authors explain that memories become stronger and more available after humans go from crawling to walking.
Additionally, memories that were repeated back to us by others tend to crystallize into memories.
We remember emotional events and perceptually stimulating events.
Maybe you remember running up and down the aisles, calling, Mommy, Mommy!
Other times, early memories get retained because they were repeated back to you throughout the years.
Despite existing research, we still have many unanswered questions, says Dr. Kumar.
Perdikogianni M, Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous X.Infantile Amnesia.
Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development.
doi:10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1484
Glenberg AM, Hayes J.Contribution of Embodiment to Solving the Riddle of Infantile Amnesia.
2014;21(3):135-139. doi:10.1101/lm.031096.113
