科學(xué)家報(bào)告說,，年齡低至14個(gè)月大的嬰兒也能使用類似于成年人的心理分類概念去增加他們的工作記憶,。成年人可以在他們的工作記憶中保持3至4個(gè)對(duì)象，但是他們常常會(huì)構(gòu)建心理層次,，通過把更大的任務(wù)分解成小片從而增加記憶容量。已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)嬰兒有能力同時(shí)記住最多3個(gè)對(duì)象,。
Lisa Feigenson 和Justin Halberda發(fā)現(xiàn)嬰兒可以使用特定的線索擴(kuò)展他們的工作記憶,，超過上述限制,。這組科學(xué)家向嬰兒展示了之前藏在盒子里的4件玩具。在一些實(shí)驗(yàn)中,，他們偷偷地扣下了其中兩件玩具,。然后這組科學(xué)家觀察一旦盒子空了之后嬰兒還會(huì)繼續(xù)搜索盒子多長時(shí)間，從而弄清楚如果嬰兒記得有更多的玩具尚待發(fā)現(xiàn),，那么嬰兒是否會(huì)用更長的時(shí)間搜索,。當(dāng)這4件玩具包括了兩組每組兩件相似物體（例如貓和汽車）、而其中一類玩具被藏了起來的時(shí)候,，這些嬰兒搜索的時(shí)間更長,。這組作者說，這是一個(gè)證據(jù),，表明了嬰兒正在使用分類概念,。這組作者還發(fā)現(xiàn)嬰兒有可能把他們的記憶容量擴(kuò)展到至多6個(gè)對(duì)象。相關(guān)論文發(fā)表在美國《國家科學(xué)院院刊》（PNAS）上,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PNAS,，doi：10.1073/pnas.0709884105，Lisa Feigenson,，Justin Halberda
Conceptual knowledge increases infants' memory capacity
Lisa Feigenson* and Justin Halberda
+Author Affiliations
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Edited by Charles R. Gallistel, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, and approved May 13, 2008 (received for review October 17, 2007)
Abstract
Adults can expand their limited working memory capacity by using stored conceptual knowledge to chunk items into interrelated units. For example, adults are better at remembering the letter string PBSBBCCNN after parsing it into three smaller units: the television acronyms PBS, BBC, and CNN. Is this chunking a learned strategy acquired through instruction? We explored the origins of this ability by asking whether untrained infants can use conceptual knowledge to increase memory. In the absence of any grouping cues, 14-month-old infants can track only three hidden objects at once, demonstrating the standard limit of working memory. In four experiments we show that infants can surpass this limit when given perceptual, conceptual, linguistic, or spatial cues to parse larger arrays into smaller units that are more efficiently stored in memory. This work offers evidence of memory expansion based on conceptual knowledge in untrained, preverbal subjects. Our findings demonstrate that without instruction, and in the absence of robust language, a fundamental memory computation is available throughout the lifespan, years before the development of explicit metamemorial strategies.
