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The Development of Temporal Memory for Complex Events

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Title: The Development of Temporal Memory for Complex Events
Language: English
Authors: Matteo Frisoni (ORCID 0000-0001-8432-4923), Tiziana Pedale (ORCID 0000-0001-9311-5373), Michele Capurso (ORCID 0000-0002-0044-626X), Valerio Santangelo, Carlo Sestieri
Source: Developmental Science. 2026 29(3).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: Memory, Time Perspective, Recall (Psychology), Serial Ordering, Children, Intelligence Tests, Age Differences, Visual Perception, Spatial Ability, Mnemonics, Elementary School Students, Cognitive Development
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
DOI: 10.1111/desc.70160
ISSN: 1363-755X
1467-7687
Abstract: Remembering when past events occurred is a key component of episodic memory, yet its developmental trajectory remains only partially understood. This study examined how children aged 6 and 10, compared to young adults, recall the timing of events embedded in an 11-min cartoon. After viewing the cartoon, participants estimated the time of occurrence of short clips extracted from the narrative by placing them on a visual analogue scale representing the episode's duration. They also completed a number line task to assess visuospatial magnitude representation and a chronological reordering task (adapted from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III), to evaluate narrative chronological organization. Results revealed a clear age-related improvement in temporal precision. Older children showed almost adult-like performance and exhibited less bias than younger children. Crucially, differences in visuospatial skills did not fully account for this developmental trend, as controlling for number line and reordering performance did not eliminate age-related effects. Additionally, only older children showed improved timing estimates for clips rated as more important, indicating the emerging role of narrative structure as a mnemonic scaffold during the school years. Correlational analyses further suggest a developmental shift from spatial to more abstract, narrative-based representations of time. These findings highlight primary school years as a crucial window for the development of temporal memory in naturalistic contexts and suggest a gradual progression from perceptual to conceptual time representations.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504279
Database: ERIC
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  Data: The Development of Temporal Memory for Complex Events
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Matteo+Frisoni%22">Matteo Frisoni</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8432-4923">0000-0001-8432-4923</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tiziana+Pedale%22">Tiziana Pedale</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9311-5373">0000-0001-9311-5373</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michele+Capurso%22">Michele Capurso</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0044-626X">0000-0002-0044-626X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Valerio+Santangelo%22">Valerio Santangelo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carlo+Sestieri%22">Carlo Sestieri</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Science%22"><i>Developmental Science</i></searchLink>. 2026 29(3).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 17
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  Data: Remembering when past events occurred is a key component of episodic memory, yet its developmental trajectory remains only partially understood. This study examined how children aged 6 and 10, compared to young adults, recall the timing of events embedded in an 11-min cartoon. After viewing the cartoon, participants estimated the time of occurrence of short clips extracted from the narrative by placing them on a visual analogue scale representing the episode's duration. They also completed a number line task to assess visuospatial magnitude representation and a chronological reordering task (adapted from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III), to evaluate narrative chronological organization. Results revealed a clear age-related improvement in temporal precision. Older children showed almost adult-like performance and exhibited less bias than younger children. Crucially, differences in visuospatial skills did not fully account for this developmental trend, as controlling for number line and reordering performance did not eliminate age-related effects. Additionally, only older children showed improved timing estimates for clips rated as more important, indicating the emerging role of narrative structure as a mnemonic scaffold during the school years. Correlational analyses further suggest a developmental shift from spatial to more abstract, narrative-based representations of time. These findings highlight primary school years as a crucial window for the development of temporal memory in naturalistic contexts and suggest a gradual progression from perceptual to conceptual time representations.
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  Data: 2026
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      – SubjectFull: Time Perspective
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