Electrophysiological Correlates of Infant Recognition Memory

TLDR

The study discusses whether infant ERP responses reflect working‑memory updating and how they compare to adult novelty and uncertainty responses. The study records infant ERPs to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of recognition memory. Three studies varied face presentation probabilities: one used a high‑probability familiar face and a low‑probability novel face, another used equal probabilities, and a third presented two novel faces equally often. ERP analyses revealed distinct components differentiating novel from familiar faces, indicating two recognition processes, with a central component distinguishing novelty and evidence that prior exposure biases attention toward novel stimuli.

Abstract

Event-Related Potentials were recorded from 6-month-old infants in order to examine the electrophysiological correlates of recognition memory. In 1 study, infants were shown 1 face briefly, followed by the same face presented with high probability, and a novel face presented with low probability. 2 components were observed that distinguished between the novel and familiar events. Differences between these components in latency, polarity, and scalp topography led to the suggestion that 2 processes were involved in recognizing the stimuli. In a second study infants were again presented with 1 face briefly, followed by the same face and a novel face presented with equal probability. 1 component at central scalp distinguished between the novel and familiar events. In a third study, infants were simply presented with 2 previously unseen faces equally often. Infants responded as if the faces were identical, suggesting that previous experience with 1 stimulus directs infants' attention to the novel stimulus during the test portion of the task. The extent to which the observed responses reflect the updating of working memory is discussed, as is the extent to which infants' electrophysiological response to stimulus novelty and uncertainty resembles the adult's.