# The development of adaptive memory across early childhood

> **NIH NIH R03** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2022 · $79,250

## Abstract

We rely on our ability to recall memories, particularly positive memories, to guide our future behaviors, making
it adaptive to retain salient events. In adults, positive emotion's effects on memory encoding and consolidation
have been well characterized, including the selective prioritization of central, salient information ('gist'), over
peripheral context and transformation for long-term retention. Do young children similarly prioritize emotional
memories? Brain structure and function undergoes extensive, protracted development across childhood,
particularly between ages 4-6; with maturation of the medial temporal lobe and amygdala continuing into early
childhood, and connections to prefrontal cortex (PFC) extending into adolescence. However, without top-down
processes from PFC, children are more reactive to positive events. At the same time, early developing
mnemonic functions seem developmentally advantageous for the acquisition of conceptual knowledge, and an
early reliance on 'gist'-based memory over fine details and weak relational binding ability seem to mirror
characteristic effects of positive emotional memory. It is therefore possible that the immature memory system
is well suited to emphasize the adaptive functions of memory. Yet, critically little work has tested how
mechanisms in the immature memory system support positively-valanced memories. The goal of this
proposal is to determine how these adaptive memories are formed and stored across early childhood
and to relate these measures to the pattern of developmental changes in supporting brain morphology.
This proposal details two experiments with children (4-8 years old) and young adults (18-35) utilizing novel
behavioral manipulations and structural neuroimaging. In Aim 1, we propose a behavioral experiment to
characterize how positive information is selectively prioritized over neutral information in memory in early
childhood. In Aim 2, a behavioral experiment will examine developmental differences in the organization and
content of positive memories. While research has shown an age-related tendency towards 'gist'-memory, little
work has systematically tested developmental differences in the trade-off of details and integration for salient
information. In an exploratory Aim 3, we will use structural neuroimaging to examine the relationship between
positive memory benefits and the maturation of white matter tracts that facilitate information processing across
cortical and sub-cortical structures. The proposed aims will therefore advance the development of novel, childfriendly
behavioral paradigms to determine how adaptive memories are formed and stored across early
development. This research will provide the foundation to study the antecedents of emotion dysregulation
disorders and inform practices for developing socio-emotional skills in early childhood.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10527472
- **Project number:** 1R03MH128628-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Vishnu Pradeep Murty
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $79,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10527472

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10527472, The development of adaptive memory across early childhood (1R03MH128628-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10527472. Licensed CC0.

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