Surprising Discovery: Babies Form Memories Earlier Than Scientists Believed
Memories shape our identities, yet most people remember nothing from their first few years of life. This phenomenon, called infantile amnesia, has puzzled psychologists for over a century. Now, a landmark study published in Science reveals that babies begin forming memories much earlier than previously thought—we just can’t access them later.
Researchers from Yale and Columbia universities have captured the first real-time observations of memories forming in infants’ brains. Using innovative brain scanning techniques, they demonstrated that babies as young as 12 months old encode and recognize memories using the hippocampus—the same brain region adults rely on. This discovery challenges long-held assumptions about infant cognition and memory development.
The implications extend beyond curiosity. Understanding how early memories form—and why they disappear—could reshape educational approaches, inform treatments for memory disorders, and even help parents support their children’s cognitive growth. As lead researcher Tristan Yates notes, “We’re finally seeing the hidden workings of the infant mind.”
How Scientists Detected Memory Formation in Babies
Previous studies relied on indirect measures like observing whether babies recognized familiar objects. The new study took a revolutionary approach by adapting functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive brain imaging method that is safe for infants. While babies sat comfortably on their parents’ laps, researchers showed them sequences of images while monitoring hippocampal activity.
The experiment involved 26 infants aged 4 to 25 months. When a baby’s hippocampus showed strong initial activity upon seeing an image, they later spent more time looking at that image when it reappeared alongside new ones—clear evidence of recognition. “This direct neural evidence is unprecedented,” says co-author Dr. Sarah Liu of Yale. “We’re watching memories take their first steps.”
Interestingly, memory formation appeared strongest after 12 months but was detectable even in younger infants. This suggests the hippocampus begins functioning earlier than the 18-24 month window traditionally associated with episodic memory development. The team speculates that while babies form memories young, their brains may lack the systems to organize and retrieve them long-term.
The Mystery of Infantile Amnesia: Why Early Memories Fade
If babies form memories, why can’t adults recall them? Neuroscience offers several compelling theories. The most prominent involves neurogenesis—the rapid birth of new neurons in infant brains. Studies on rodents show that slowing neurogenesis allows baby mice to retain memories longer, suggesting that our brain’s developmental priorities override early memory storage.
Language development may also play a crucial role. Episodic memories typically require narrative structure—something impossible without vocabulary. Dr. Emma Wu, a developmental psychologist not involved in the study, explains: “Before age three, children lack the verbal tools to ‘package’ memories in ways the adult brain can later unpack.”
An evolutionary perspective adds another layer. Forgetting early experiences might help the brain prioritize learning universal skills (like walking and talking) over irrelevant details. “Your brain sacrifices specific memories to build general intelligence,” says Wu. This trade-off could explain why toddlers remember events for months while infants forget within weeks.
Can We Trust “Memories” From Infancy?
Some adults swear they remember being babies—a first step, a favorite blanket. However, these are almost certainly false memories constructed from family stories, photos, or imagination. The Yale team’s ongoing research uses head-mounted cameras on toddlers to create objective records of early experiences, which they’ll later test for recall.
Memory reconstruction is remarkably malleable. In one famous experiment, researchers convinced adults they remembered childhood events that never happened simply by showing doctored photos. This underscores how easily our minds create plausible fictions to fill memory gaps.
Cultural factors also shape false memories. Societies that emphasize early childhood milestones (like first haircut ceremonies) have higher rates of claimed infant memories. “What feels like recall is often cultural narrative absorbed over time,” notes anthropologist Dr. Carlos Mendez.
Could We One Day Recover Lost Childhood Memories?
Cutting-edge neuroscience offers tantalizing possibilities. In 2022, MIT scientists used optogenetics to reactivate “lost” memories in mice by stimulating specific hippocampal neurons. While ethically impossible in humans currently, the technique proves that forgotten memories may persist in latent form.
Toronto neuroscientist Dr. Paul Frankland, who studies memory retention in animals, suggests natural triggers might someday help access early memories: “Certain smells or songs already trigger unexpected recollections. With targeted therapies, we might amplify this effect.”
Psychoanalytic approaches take a different tack. Some therapists use hypnosis or free association to explore early memory fragments, though these methods remain controversial due to risks of creating false memories. As Frankland cautions, “The line between recovered memory and confabulation is perilously thin.”
Practical Implications: What This Means for Parents and Educators
While infants won’t remember specific lullabies or toys, the study confirms that early experiences shape brain development. “Repetition builds neural pathways even if conscious memory doesn’t form,” advises child development specialist Dr. Leah Kim. Simple routines like consistent bedtime stories may support memory systems’ maturation.
The findings also highlight sensitive periods for learning. Babies who observe sign language or hear multiple languages before age two often learn them more easily later—even without remembering the early exposure. This suggests implicit memory (unconscious retention of skills) develops alongside fleeting conscious memory.
For educators, the research underscores the importance of sensorimotor learning in early childhood. “When toddlers squish clay or stack blocks, they’re not just playing—they’re building the brain architecture for future memory and reasoning,” explains early education researcher Dr. Diego Flores.
Future Research Directions
The Yale team plans longitudinal studies tracking babies into childhood to see if any retain fragments of their earliest memories. Other labs are investigating whether nutrition, sleep patterns, or genetic factors influence infant memory retention.
One particularly ambitious project at the University of Minnesota is developing “memory biomarkers”—measurable physical traces of early memories in brain tissue. While years from practical application, this could objectively prove whether forgotten infant experiences leave permanent neural imprints.
As technology advances, scientists may eventually decode the precise conditions that allow some rare individuals to recall events from age two. “Understanding these exceptions could reveal how to protect or retrieve early memories,” speculates Dr. Yates.
\Rewriting the Story of Memory
This groundbreaking research transforms our understanding of infant cognition. Babies don’t just passively absorb the world—they actively form and use memories, creating a rich mental life invisible to adult recollection. The very act of forgetting appears to be an essential developmental process, not a failure of memory.
As science peels back layers of this mystery, we gain not just knowledge about babies but profound insights into what makes us human. Our earliest memories may be lost to conscious recall, but their legacy shapes the people we become. In that sense, perhaps we never truly forget our beginnings—we simply outgrow the need to remember them.
