Knowing where things are in the second year of life: implications for hippocampal development

J Cogn Neurosci. 2004 Oct;16(8):1443-51. doi: 10.1162/0898929042304804.

Abstract

Prior data have revealed striking contrasts between 18- and 24-month-old children in place learning, an ability known to depend on the hippocampus (Newcombe, Huttenlocher, Drummey, & Wiley, 1998). The current research examined the development of three other basic abilities of mature spatial competence: the representation of multiple locations, the learning of relations among objects, and the recall of a single location after a substantial filled delay. Results indicated a transition from 18 to 24 months in all three abilities. This evidence supports a general transition in spatial representation that occurs towards the end of infancy. Existing neurobehavioral data suggest that a corresponding change in hippocampal functioning underlies this development.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Child Development / physiology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hippocampus / growth & development*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Learning / physiology*
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology
  • Space Perception / physiology*