External Retrieved Cues Facilitate Prospective Remembering in Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether external retrieval cues are effective in facilitating the prospective remembering of young children. Seventy-six six- to eight-year-old children were instructed individually to remind the experimenter to open a surprise box at the conclusion of a seven-minute interval. Remembering was more frequent (p>.05) in an elaboration condition, in which a toy clown was used as a cue, than in a control condition. This finding is consistent with children’s interview data, and with data for college students showing the effects of external retrieval cues. It is argued that children’s attempts at prospective remembering may be an important precursor to the development of strategies for retrospective remembering.