We know that from the moment of birth the so-called mental maps begin to form in our brain which will be made up of acquired experiential and cognitive data, and will allow us to learn to recognize a face, a voice and other specificities. In order for these mental maps to conform, sensorial neurological maturation (sight, hearing, etc.) and exposure to experiences that will be acquired and compared with similar others are required.
The fundamental element is exposure to the event, in its absence there would be nothing to memorize, or compare.
The first type of memory that is formed in the child is, around 5-6 months, that of recognition which allows us to recognize objects which, seen continuously or used continuously, become familiar but which must continually be present, not yet being possible to recall them in their absence.
Subsequently, around 8-12 months, working memory will appear which will allow the child to keep events and objects in mind for a longer period of time.
Around 11-12 months, the ability to compare different patterns develops, i.e. the ability to recall a past experience in order to make a comparison with a more contingent one. This ability to hold and recall a pattern is called recall memory, and is an aspect of long-term memory that begins to consolidate around this age. This ability will be the basis of the re-enactment of fear patterns of children of this age, such as the fear of a stranger who does not correspond to any face stored in the mental map. In the same way, the child will also be able to recall sensations related to past events.
At the CNS level, all this happens at the level of the hippocampus, the frontal cortex, or in the centers responsible for visual, auditory and emotional connections.
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts