childhood amnesia

Childhood amnesia, also known as infantile amnesia, is the inability of adults to recall events from their early childhood. This phenomenon is generally attributed to the developmental stage of the brain, which is not yet fully equipped to consolidate memories. Theories suggest that the brain systems for encoding and retrieving specific events are not adequately developed before the age of three.12

Another perspective is that developmental changes in memory formation and retrieval prevent access to these early memories. Some researchers believe infants' brains lose memories more rapidly and lack the ability to generalize to new experiences. As children age and develop language, they begin to utilize semantic memory and become more aware of how their memory functions, a concept known as "metamemory".1