Preschoolers' Understanding of Memory-relevant Variables

Abstract

WELLMAN, HENRY M. Preschoolers' Understanding of Memory-relevant Variables. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 1720-1723. 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds were presented an array of metamemory tasks designed to test their understanding of variables which affect the difficulty of memory performance. 10 variables were tested, including, for example, that more items make a task harder, more time to study makes memorization more certain, distractions and interference make the task harder, etc. By age 5 children understood most of these variables. Understanding of the memory relevance of the variables was acquired in an ordered developmental sequence.