Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Earliest Memories

This article is really about why most people don't remember being babies. 

It doesn't mention the fact that some people DO remember.  But the logical explanation connects to at least one reason for remembering: those of us who come into this life with some memories already in place.  Think of it as a scaffold.  If you already have some memories, then you press that template into the barely-formed brain of your new body.  This makes it easier to attach new memories immediately.  The physical plasticity means you'll probably still lose some stuff, but you are way ahead of people who have to start from scratch.
Tags: news, science
Subscribe

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 4 comments
kestrels_nest

kestrels_nest

July 20 2014, 23:52:14 UTC 6 years ago

I remember lying on my back, making my crib mobile go by kicking it with my toes. It was moons and stars, and glowed in the dark. My mother dates the memory to my being under 4 months old. That's when they lowered the crib mattress, and once it was down I could no longer reach the mobile until I learned to sit myself up. I also remember being very frustrated, because I knew the words I wanted but didn't know how to make my mouth shape them. The best I could manage was "singing" the cadence and tone. Since I had mastered mama, da-da, and a few other words by 8 months, it's probably before that, but I really don't know. I have memory, but absolutely no sense of time.

Come to think about it, I still have no sense of time....
ysabetwordsmith

Wow!

ysabetwordsmith

July 21 2014, 08:33:21 UTC 6 years ago

That is impressively early.

Yeah, the consensus timespace continuum has no real grip on me either, which is often inconvenient.