A few days ago, I saw several mothers chatting in the WeChat group.
I heard that children before the age of 3 have no memory, really or falsely?
I don't know, my baby is 4 and a half years old, I don't remember taking her out last year, but I can remember taking the train.
Does the child have any memories before the age of 3? What exactly can you remember?
Today, Lilac's mother invited Teacher You Zhiyou to tell you about the child's memory before the age of 3.
All human beings suffer from amnesia.
"Childhood amnesia," a term that refers to the inability of humans to remember before the age of 2.
Why did you forget? There are several explanations, such as:
➊ The brain changes very quickly in infancy: many neurons are reborn, many synapses are formed, many synapses disappear, and these changes clear the memory.
➋ The nervous system is not yet mature: the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex needed for memory do not develop until the age of 3 or 4 years, and the previous memory is naturally difficult to retain.
➌ Self-awareness has not yet developed: to remember "what I have experienced before", at least the concept of "self" and the sense of time "once upon a time" must be developed, which are not born to know.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
➍ Haven't learned to speak yet: Language helps us sort through experiences and form memories. Without language as a tool, memories are difficult to encode and extract.
➎ What happened in childhood is too plain: nothing more than eating, sleeping, and playing, and only those things that cause strong emotions, we remember it for a long time.
Although 3-year-olds tend to remember what happened when they were 2 years old, only those things that can cause a big change in the mood of young children are recorded as adults.
For example: remember being hospitalized at the age of 2 because of illness, having younger siblings born at the age of 2, moving at the age of 3, dying of family members at the age of 3...
Regardless of which explanation is closest to the truth, one thing is extremely clear: between the ages of 0 and 2, all the efforts that adults put into the baby will be forgotten in the future.
However, it does not seem very accurate to say "forget everything".
Although it is impossible to recall, the initial experience is preserved in our brain circuits in another way.
For example, trust:
In times of hunger and helplessness, do those big hands bring comfort, or do they bring blows, or do they delay? That's how we remembered whether we could trust another person.
When seeking to communicate, does the voice respond immediately, or is it indifferent? That's how we remember whether we are valued or worthless.
When the attempt begins, does the adult patiently wait for encouragement, or do you just do it, or do you taunt it? In this way, we remember whether we have the ability to be autonomous or whether we can't do anything well.
Our amygdala remembers whether the world is more worth exploring or more worthy of vigilance.
Our vagus nerve remembers whether it's worth looking forward to or stressful to spend time with other people.
And our reward system, remembering that in intimate relationships, a few bits of dopamine are released. Our mirror neurons remember the joy of being in the heart of others.
Our dorsal anterior cuff is brought back, remembering the physical pain of rejection by others.
These are all memories that are formed in infancy and can be retained forever.
03
So, ah, feed, change diapers, make a babbling sound, and when you are picked up, your small hands are softly wrapped around the neck of the adult...
Even if the baby forgets all of them, it doesn't matter if only the adult retains these memories.
Little baby, just try to grow up.
Until one day, when the baby also grew into an adult and began to take care of another baby...
Or when the baby grows into an adult and then reads about the relevant research...
It will suddenly dawn on you.
It turns out that the calm, curiosity, optimism, and tenacity in us are not born that way.
And the ability to laugh with friends and get close to your partner, in part, is actually due to the memories of your first days.
Even if you can't tell the original story, your neural circuits still remember.
In that time that you forgot, someone once loved you deeply.
Although the first three years will be forgotten, the interaction of love
The joy of playing with you will always remain in the child's neural circuits
So Lilac Mom for everyone
Prepared a detailed "Early Education Game Play List"
Use these fun games to accompany your child to grow up
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In addition, psychological studies have found that:
The intellectual development of boys and girls is very different
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"Gender Characteristics of Children's Intellectual Development"
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The content of the baby's language ability development and cognitive development
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Prepare a "Baby Development Indicators Table"
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This article is co-authored by experts
You know how to do it
Master of Genetics, member of the Science Squirrel Society
Planning and production
Typography: Lan Lan
Cover image source: Stand Cool Helo