Do young children, like young adults, remember animates better than inanimates?

It has repeatedly been shown in adults that animates are remembered better than inanimates. According to the adaptive view of human memory this is due to the fact that animates are generally more important for survival than inanimates. Animacy enhances not only the quantity but also the quality of remembering. The effect is primarily driven by recollection. Virtually all studies have been conducted in adults, and we believe that the investigation of animacy effects in children is also highly relevant. The present study therefore tested the animacy effect on recollection in young (6-7 years, M = 6.6 years) and older children (10-12 years, M = 10.83 years) using the Remember/Know paradigm. As found in adults, an animacy effect on memory was found, but only in older children, and specifically in the remember responses, suggesting, once again, its episodic nature.

Automated summary

According to the adaptive view of human memory, animated objects are better remembered than inanimated objects in adults, due to their higher importance for survival. The present study aimed to investigate the animacy effect on recollection in children. The results showed that older children demonstrated an animacy effect on memory, particularly in their remember responses, indicating its episodic nature.