Quote:
Originally Posted by lizardlady
I was told in grad school that we can not form memories until we have language. I thought horse hockey! My real early memories are more visual than word oriented.
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just reread what I wrote above and thought I might come across as arguing with you. Not arguing with you, just stating my reaction to profs who said I couldn't remember what I remembered.
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Hehe.
I think it has to be words OR some other developed skills... it doesn't have to be a formal language. Just something to make you store memory easier. My first memories are before I had language. An alternative language can be anything that gives some abstraction, like images. When I speak to myself in my head, I use "my own language", which isn't even words.
If it had to be language with words, people who cannot learn language would have zero memories and obviously they have memories.
If you somehow can create concepts in your mind, you can create lasting memories.
I really see no limit how far back memory can go, my niece is starting to lose her really early memories now but I think for some they stay. She used to remember with ease!!! back to about 6 months of age. And she spoke late so no language to help. Its just that some people seem to remember back only when they are still very young and for some reason they forget when they get older.
The ones with "amazingly" early memories I think never went through that delete phase or whatever to call it. I know I never did in the same extent as others. So I think it is not just about forming memories, it is about not having them deleted at around age 5.
Yea, I get tired when people say things aren't possible. I have many memories from before we moved and when we did I wasn't even 2.
I don't think there is anything wrong with people who start remembering early, or people starting to remembering late.