Where Do Children's Earliest Memories Go Summary

Kristin Ohlson’s Aeon article “The Great Forgetting: Where Do Children’s Earliest Memories Go” suggests that many factors contribute to the ability to remember something, and the missing memories have contributed to each individual person’s view of the world. To begin with, the author recounts her personal story, showing how her own memories of her childhood differed from what happened in real life. When explaining her own childhood, the author says, “I didn’t remember that. I didn’t remember the table. I didn’t remember anything about the place. My siblings tugged me through the house, pointing out where everyone had slept… They pointed out other features tied to the life that we all lived in the cabin, eager for me to remember, but there was nothing” (4). Even though the author had a trigger, could remember nothing from this period in
The finding… might be explained by culture: Chinese people prize individuality less than North Americans and… less likely to spend as much time drawing attention to the moments of an individual’s life. Canadians, by contrast, reinforce recollection and keep the synapses that underlie early personal memories vibrant” (11&12). Young children’s brains aren’t finished developing, and then they are subjected to shredding, which can distort existing memories, making them even harder to recall. An emphasis on individuality can also affect a child’s ability to recall a memory, as the more unique or significant a memory seems, the more special it is to the person, therefore making it easier to remember. Individuality is one of the core ingredients in a memory, as it makes the situation unique to every individual