A new study, released by the University of Colorado in Boulder, is aiming to redefine our expectations of children’s memories. Researchers were surprised to find that, unlike adults, toddlers and preschoolers store, rather than process, new information. Instead of planning for the future, or even living entirely in the present, small children deal with situations retroactively.
What this means to parents, of course, is that contrary to appearances, kids are hearing those things you tell them over and over again, but they can’t necessarily use this information to build a picture of the future. Instead of giving advice to our small kids based on what might happen in the future, it might be more effective to ask them to recall the past when making their decisions.
source: University of Colorado at Boulder. “New View Of The Way Young Children Think.” ScienceDaily 25 March 2009.
