Did I visit the polar bear before the giraffe? Examining memory for temporal order and the temporal distance effect in early to middle childhood

Abstract

Memory for the temporal order of past events is a critical capacity; however, relatively little is known about its development and the processes that support it in early to middle childhood. The aim of this study was to examine children's memory for the temporal order of real-world events. Four–five-year-old (n = 36), 6–7-year-old (n = 45) and 8–10-year-old (n = 46) children participated in a week-long camp at a local zoo, which involved engaging activities and visits to animals each day. On the last day of camp, we tested children's memory for the order of pairs of animals visited. The elapsed time (lag) between event pairs was manipulated to test whether children's accuracy would show the temporal distance effect and give us insights into the processes supporting temporal memory. We found that 8–10-year-olds, but not younger groups, showed the temporal distance effect. Implications for our understanding of the cognitive processes supporting temporal memory development are discussed.