Selective postevent review and children's memory for nonreviewed materials

Two experiments investigated the impact of selective postevent questioning on children's memory for nonreviewed materials. In both experiments, children participated in a series of novel activities. Children in the selective-review condition were subsequently questioned about half of these and comparisons were made to memory in a no-review condition. In Experiment 1, participants were 60 5- and 9-year-olds. For children in both age groups, memory for nonreviewed activities was impaired 20 min later in free recall. In Experiment 2, participants were 60 5-year-olds. Memory impairment was found following a 1-day delay after spaced review (three sessions over 3 days) but not after massed review (three sessions on I day). In both experiments, memory impairment was absent when specific retrieval cues were provided. The possible mechanisms underlying these findings and their potential practical implications are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.