Naps promote flexible memory retrieval in 12‐month‐old infants. Issue 7 (20th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Konrad, Carolin; Seehagen, Sabine; Schneider, Silvia; Herbert, Jane S.
• Other Names: Barr Rachel guestEditor.; Hayne Harlene guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Developmental psychobiology. Volume 58:Issue 7(2016)
• Page Start: 866
• Page End: 874
• Publication Date: 2016-05-20
• Subjects: flexibility of retrieval -- imitation -- infancy -- memory -- sleep; Psychobiology -- Periodicals; 155
• DOI: 10.1002/dev.21431
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0012-1630

Abstract

Abstract: Flexibility in applying existing knowledge to similar cues is a corner stone of memory development in infants. Here, we examine the effect of sleep on the flexibility of memory retrieval using a deferred imitation paradigm. Forty‐eight 12‐month‐old infants were randomly assigned to either a nap or a no‐nap demonstration condition (scheduled around their natural daytime sleep schedule) or to a baseline control condition. In the demonstration conditions, infants watched an experimenter perform three target actions on a hand puppet. Immediately afterwards, infants were allowed to practice the target actions three times. In a test session 4‐hr later, infants were given the opportunity to reproduce the actions with a novel hand puppet differing in color from the puppet used during the demonstration session. Only infants in the nap‐condition performed significantly more target actions than infants in the baseline control condition. Furthermore, they were faster to carry out the first target action than infants in the no‐nap condition. We conclude that sleep had a facilitative effect on infants' flexibility of memory retrieval.