Individuals make a wide range of choices and decisions every day. Choice is often seen as an important indicator of individual freedom and has been shown in numerous studies to have a positive effect on an individual's ability, performance, health and well-being. In recent years, researchers in the field of learning and memory have begun to investigate the effects of choice on memory and have found that choice can facilitate memory performance, known as the choice effect on memory. Much of the current research of choice effect on memory has focused on adults; it is unclear whether choice effect on memory exists in children and how it develops during childhood.
In this study, the developmental characteristics of the effects of choice on memory in children aged 5一9 years (N 289). All four experiments used the no-outcome selection paradigm combined with the encoding-test two-stage memory study paradigm. Experimental data were calculated using generalized linear mixed models and traditional ANOVA.Experiment 1 (n=39) investigated the effects of choice on memory in preschool children (5-6 years old) and found that 5-year-old children show a trend towards the effects of choice on memory. Experiment 2 (n=109) investigated tthe effects of choice on memory in first, second and third grade primary school children (6一9 years old) and found that children aged 6 to 9 have the effects of choice on memory, which is not influenced by age. In order to ensure the reliability and replicability of the results from experiments 1 and 2, Experiment 3 (n=73) used different materials (indoors and outdoors pictures in experiments 1 and 2, and biological and non-biological pictures in Experiment 3) to verify the results from experiments 1 and 2. The age range of participants in Experiment 3 covered that of experiments 1 and 2 (5-9 years old), and Experiment 3 replicated the results of experiments 1 and 2. In other words, children exhibit the effects of choice on memory at the age of 5, and the memory selection effect is not different between children aged 5-9. Experiment 4 (n=67) further investigated the influence of significant others (mothers) on the memory of 5-9 year old children and found that the mother's choice did not significantly affect the memory performance of the children.
This study reveals the choice effect on memory of children aged 5一9 years, complements the development theory of choice effect on memory, and suggests that choice effect on memory is stable across ages. The research results have important theoretical value for us to understand choice, motivation and their impact on learning and memory. This study indicates that children aged 5-9 have a strong demand for autonomy, and the influence of important others' choices is relatively small. It suggests that parents and teachers should pay attention to students' autonomous choices. The results of this study have important practical significance for current family education and educational reform.
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