Sources of Interference in Memory Across Development
研究通过儿童和成人的记忆任务，分解了来自列表内项目与实验前背景的干扰，发现项目辨别能力发展迅速，而背景辨别能力发展缓慢。
Episodic memory involves remembering not only what happened but also where and when the event happened. This multicomponent nature introduces different sources of interference that stem from previous experience. However, it is unclear how the contributions of these sources change across development and what might cause the changes. To address these questions, we tested 4- to 5-year-olds ( n = 103), 7- to 8-year-olds ( n = 82), and adults ( n = 70) using item- and source-recognition memory tasks with various manipulations (i.e., list length, list strength, word frequency), and we decomposed sources of interference using a computational model. We found that interference stemming from other items on the study list rapidly decreased with development, whereas interference from preexperimental contexts gradually decreased but remained the major source of interference. The model further quantified these changes, indicating that the ability to discriminate items undergoes rapid development, whereas the ability to discriminate contexts undergoes protracted development. These results elucidate fundamental aspects of memory development.