You've likely heard that core memories start around age 2 or 3. Longterm memories around age 4. But a new study from Yale University found that infants are able to develop memories, they just don't remember them.
The research, published in Science on March 20, 2025, determined that infants do form memories, they can perform "a memory task" while awake, and "infantile amnesia" may be partially to blame for why they don't retain the memories in the long run. It has to do with deficits in "postencoding retrieval mechanisms," the study found.
RELATED: Experts Say This One Activity Could Dramatically Improve Your Memory.
It is a game-changer because previously it was theorized that infants don't have a developed hippocampus region of the brain. Now the study found that those around 1 year of age are able to encode memories. They were shown specific images and they tended to stare at images they had seen before for a longer period of time, suggesting not just interest but recognition.
Brain scans from the study found greater activity in the hippocampus when looking at an image they had seen before, and the findings held true across the entire sample of 26 infants.
Nora Newcombe, a psychologist at Temple University, who was not involved in the study called it "amazing and pioneering work." Redditers debated the findings with one hypothesizing that the reason infants don't remember memories long term is the pathways weaken over time, deeming them "inaccessible."
The topic of memory is hotly debated in travel circles, as parents decide whether to go on a big trip with their children (and infants). Terry Ward argued for The Lonely Planet that it's never too young for a child to travel, as it helps their brain develop with new surroundings. Jessica Burns wrote for Motherly that the main thing is that you will remember the trip, as a parent, and that's reason enough to go. Clinical psychologist Dr. Samantha Fishoffers that the sense of adventure is good for young children and there's the added benefit that it helps with sensory development.
RELATED: The 8 Best Ways to Display Your Travel Memories, Experts Say.
Key Takeaways:
- A new study from Yale University found that infants do form memories, but they don't remember them long term.
- Infants as young as 1 year old were able to encode memories, as shown by their recognition of specific images.
- Brain scans showed greater activity in the hippocampus when infants looked at images they had seen before.
