Infantile Amnesia

Definition

Infantile amnesia is the inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories before the age of 2–4 years, as well as the period before age 10 of which adults retain fewer memories than might otherwise be expected given the passage of time.

Analogy

Think about your favorite book. You can probably remember the main plot and characters, but you might not remember every single detail or scene. Infantile amnesia is like that, but with your own life story. It's like the first few chapters of your life are missing from your memory.

Related terms

Episodic Memory: The type of long-term, declarative memory in which we store memories of personal experiences that are tied to particular times and places.

Semantic Memory: A portion of long-term memory that processes ideas and concepts that are not drawn from personal experience.

Long-Term Memory: The final phase of memory, in which information storage may last from minutes to an entire lifetime.