The ability to recall contextual details associated with an event begins to develop in the first year of life, yet adult levels of recall are not reached until early adolescence. Dual-process models of
memory suggest that the distinct retrieval process that supports the recall of such contextual information is
recollection. In the present investigation, we used both behavioral and
electrophysiological measures to assess the development of
memory for contextual details, as indexed by
memory for
temporal order, in early childhood. Results revealed age-related improvements in
memory for
temporal order despite similar levels of
memory for the individual items themselves. Furthermore, this pattern of recall was associated with specific components in the
electrophysiological response. Consistent with
electrophysiological research in adults, distributed, positive-going activity late in the waveform was associated with increases in recall of contextual details and the development of recollective processes.
