Literature Review Undergraduate 1,278 words

Memory Recall in Children: Development and Interventions

~7 min read 6 sections Psychology

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on how young children differ from older children in their ability to recall information, with particular attention to the role of language development in memory formation. It examines the concept of the mental lexicon, the significance of protoconversations in infancy, and the effects of early language interventions. The review also evaluates specific interventions—including imagery-based vocabulary strategies and repetitive paired-word training—across different age cohorts, from infants through older adults. The paper concludes with a discussion of language development challenges faced by language-minority children in the United States and the need for tailored interventions across diverse populations.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Purpose and scope of the literature review
How Young Children Differ from Older Children in Memory Recall: Mental lexicon development and early memory differences
Interventions to Improve Memory Recall: Protoconversations, imagery strategies, and early interventions
Memory Recall Interventions for Young Adults and Older Adults: Paired-word training and age-related memory decline
Language Development in Language-Minority Children: Interventions for Spanish-speaking and minority learners
Conclusion: Summary of key findings across age groups

✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾

What makes this paper effective

Maintains a clear organizational structure by moving logically from theoretical background to specific interventions and then to a special population, giving the review a coherent arc.
Grounds each claim in cited research, balancing general principles (e.g., the mental lexicon) with concrete study findings (e.g., Naveh-Benjamin and Cowan's paired-word training results).
Acknowledges limitations honestly, noting where further research is needed rather than overstating conclusions.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates integrative literature synthesis: rather than summarizing each source in isolation, it weaves multiple studies together to build a comparative argument about how memory recall differs across developmental stages. The use of direct quotations is strategically paired with analytical commentary that explains each quotation's relevance to the central question.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a brief framing introduction, then moves into two core analytical sections addressing the developmental differences in memory recall and the interventions designed for various age groups. A focused subsection addresses young adult and elderly populations specifically. A fourth section broadens the discussion to language-minority children before a concise conclusion synthesizes the main findings. This funnel-to-application structure is well suited to literature review assignments in education and developmental psychology.

📘 Read the full literature review guide → Generate citations → Build an outline → Draft a literature review → 📚 More Special Education examples →

Essay 1,278 words

Introduction

The ability to learn and recall information when it is needed is essential for virtually every human activity. It is therefore important to develop a better understanding of how young children differ from older children in this capacity, particularly when formulating interventions to facilitate the process (Silva & Britto, 2013). This paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning these issues as well as what interventions have been proven effective in improving memory recall in different age cohorts. The paper concludes with a summary of key findings concerning how young children differ from older children in their ability to recall information.

How Young Children Differ from Older Children in Memory Recall

On the one hand, the world in which very young children live is one of magic and wonder, and countless novel events occur that are especially memorable and that contribute to the memory-making process. On the other hand, very young children differ in their ability to recall specific information compared to older children because their mental lexicon remains comparatively undeveloped. In this regard, Silva and Britto (2014) note that "the human holds a mental lexicon, and this is accessed when there is the desire to represent, by words, an object, an action, an attribute, an event. The learning of words and how to use them accordingly is a fundamental aspect of language development" (p. 1654).

Interventions to Improve Memory Recall

There is a general consensus among language development researchers that additional studies are needed to determine with more specificity the manner in which infants develop language. Howell (2011) reports that "we do not fully understand the interaction of mother and infant somatic and visceral processes [that gives] the infant a means of expression and access to the other anticipatory motor-images and feelings and permits direct motive-to-motive engagement with a companion" (p. 138). What is known for certain, however, is that the earlier language development interventions are implemented — as early as 11 months of age — the more benefits infants receive from them (Moeller, 2000).

What is also well established is that one of the more remarkable aspects of the human condition is the ability of infants to interact with their mothers from birth using what is termed protoconversations — exchanges comprised of "baby talk" such as babbling and other vocalizations (Crestani, Moraes, & de Souza, 2015). Interventions designed to promote protoconversations can therefore facilitate memory recall in even very young babies. Crestani and her associates report that "[p]roto-conversation is an element generating disjunctive and conjunctive mechanisms in mother-infant dialogues, that will be instrumental in rearing the baby in and by the language whose first evidence is the baby's early lexical production" (p. 169).

Interventions designed to improve memory recall in young children are important because this knowledge is a prerequisite for developing effective listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills (Huey & Swinehart, 2015). It is important to note, however, that various interventions have fundamentally different objectives, such as improving academic performance or interpersonal communication abilities (Huey & Swinehart, 2015). Providing the optimal intervention means that some children may require nontraditional instruction (Huey & Swinehart, 2015).

Although it is regarded as nontraditional, one effective intervention for improving recall of vocabulary words with children is to incorporate imagery strategies. According to Huey and Swinehart (2015), "imagery helps when learning verbal definitions and when associating new words with existing concepts" (p. 46). A growing body of evidence confirms that there is an inextricable link between higher-order comprehension and visual vocabulary learning strategies for improving word-meaning understanding as well as the ability to infer information and formulate predictions (Huey & Swinehart, 2015). Moreover, studies have shown that visual imagery can improve both short- and long-term memory for word meaning and recall (Huey & Swinehart, 2015).

2 Sections Hidden · 340 words

Memory Recall Interventions for Young Adults and Older Adults230 words

By contrast, interventions designed to improve memory recall in young adults have used repetitive training sessions. For instance, an intervention reported by Naveh-Benjamin and Cowan (2009) used…

Language Development in Language-Minority Children110 words

Given the increasing diversity of the American demographic composition, there is a corresponding need for interventions that can help young learners from language-minority families. According to the definition provided by Lonigan, Goodrich, and Farver (2018),…

View Full Document

Conclusion

The research showed that even very young babies have the ability to communicate from birth in ways that are still being studied, and these infants as well as older children can benefit from appropriate language development interventions. The research also showed that younger children differ in their ability to learn and recall information compared to older children, with the former lacking the more advanced cognitive abilities enjoyed by the latter — abilities that facilitate memory retention and recall. Finally, several age-specific interventions were identified in the literature that can be used to help people of all ages, including the elderly, improve their memory and recall abilities.

References

Crestani, A. H., Moraes, A. B., & de Souza, A. P. (2015, January–February). Association analysis between child development risks and children early speech production between 13 and 16 months. Revista CEFAC, 17(1), 169–176.

Howell, E. F. (2011). Understanding and treating dissociative identity disorder: A relational approach. New York: Routledge.

Huey, E., & Swinehart, C. (2015, July 1). Applying imagery to vocabulary instruction. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 41(3), 45–49.

Moeller, M. P. (2000, September). Early intervention and language development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Pediatrics, 106(3), 37–41.

Naveh-Benjamin, M., & Cowan, N. (2009, October 1). Age-related differences in immediate serial recall: Dissociating chunk formation and capacity. Memory and Cognition, 35(4), 724–737.

Perez, C. (2015, June 29). U.S. has more Spanish speakers than Spain. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2015/06/29/us-has-more-spanish-speakers-than-spain/.

Silva, T. R., & Britto, D. B. (2014, November–December). Revista CEFAC, 15(6), 1654–1663.

Key Concepts in This Paper

Mental Lexicon Memory Recall Protoconversations Early Intervention Imagery Strategies Episodic Memory Language Minority Serial Recall Cognitive Development Language Acquisition