Distinctions between Implicit and Explicit Memory: Significance for Understanding Cognitive Development

This research was designed to explore developmental trends for implicit and explicit memory as well as relations between memory measures and other aspects of cognitive development for preschool and second-grade children, and adults. For one task, children and adults gradually clarified patterns of random dots until they could identify an emerging picture, in each of two testing sessions separated by one week. Reliable effects for testing session and age group were obtained for explicit memory (verbal recall as well as frequency and recognition ratings), but not for implicit memory. Typicality ratings, also obtained in this picture-clarification task, appeared more related to implicit than explicit memory. For other tasks, children and adults completed word stems (e.g. BR- - -) and provided examples of categories (e.g. animals). The absence of developmental differences for implicit memory contrasted with clear developmental improvement for recall (explicit memory). Other tasks—perceptual classification, and, for younger children, assessments of theories of mind—provided other measures of cognitive development. Measures of perceptual classification were generally unrelated to implicit or explicit memory; for preschoolers with poor explicit memory, naive theories of mind were associated with good implicit memory. Results were discussed primarily in terms of the significance of both implicit and explicit memory for understanding diverse areas of cognitive development.