Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Declarative and Nondeclarative Memory From Infancy to Early Childhood

Extending studies on memory development in childhood that focus primarily on participants from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies and, to a minor extent, from non-Western societies, in this article, we explore how cultural contexts influence the development of declarative and nondeclarative memory from infancy to childhood. Results show that nondeclarative memory in infants and children growing up in different cultures (Western middle class vs. Cameroonian Nso) develops more similarly than declarative memory. Against the background of these findings, we present ideas to guide cross-cultural memory research in infants and preverbal children.