Developmental changes in recognition memory for pictures of objects and scenes

Newcombe, N.; Rogoff, B.; Kagan, J.

Recognition memory for pictures was investigated in humans using photographs which showed either single objects or multi-object scenes and distractors which differed from targets in that an element had been added, an original element moved or the vantage point changed. In the 1st study subjects [Ss] included 6 yr olds, 9 yr olds and adults from the United States; in the 2nd study 2 Ss included the same age groups but from an Indian village in Guatemala. Addition transformations were easier to recognize than rearrangements at all ages in the United States but not in Guatemala. Objects were easier to recognize than scenes in both cultures. Recognition memory improved with age for both cultures.