Processes Involved in Memory

Beyond the three major types of memory, there are also different processes involved in memory. Sielger and Alibali (2020) discuss encoding, storage and retrieval of memories. This structure explains how memory works and can be very useful as we think about what we can and cannot expect young children to remember. It also helps to begin our conversation about memory types and structures and how they develop in children’s interactions and experiences with people and cultural artifacts.

When we encode information around us, it is how we interpret it so that we can hold onto it in our minds. The more you know about a particular topic, the more you can encode information about that topic.

So, if I were to show you images of children engaged in different types of play (parallel vs. collaborative, etc.), you could easily encode these images (i.e., interpret which kinds of play are depicted and move these images to your memory). Whereas if I were to invite engineering students to look at the same photos, they would not encode them in the same way because they don’t understand the difference between different types of play. The encoding process is important because it dictates how well we can store and use information later.

Young children’s encoding is not as strong as yours or mine simply because they haven’t lived as long and don’t have as much world knowledge. So, right from the start, memory is impacted by what you already know in the world! As you can imagine, the more that information is repeated to young children, the more they are supported in being able to remember that information.

Perhaps you can remember a time when you learned through participating, thinking and interacting with others. As a result of their repeated support, new memories were encoded and stored in your long-term memory. Some of these memories you can retrieve throughout your life, like riding your bicycle each summer or re-telling that favourite story around the dinner table.

Encoding is particularly intriguing from an early learning perspective. How can we impact a child’s experience of a new idea if they do not have the context to understand it? In other words, how can we support their encoding? You may already be familiar with pre-reading activities, in which you engage children’s prior knowledge in acquiring new knowledge to make the encoding process easier. However, there are other ways in which we can remember and through which different cultures explore memory.

In the next sections, we will examine sociocultural mechanisms of memory development, paying specific attention to storytelling and memorization practices. It is only through understanding such mechanisms in a societal and relational context that we can think about how to construct early learning environments for young children.