Adult amnesia is a memory gap that often results from an illness or injury. Based on this selection, how does childhood amnesia differ?
A) Young children must first develop the ability to create memories.
B) There is no need for children to recall the first years of life.
C) There are fewer memories to lose in a child’s first few years.
D) Illnesses do not affect children in the same ways as adults.
The correct answer is A) Young children must first develop the ability to create memories.
Explanation: Childhood amnesia refers to the phenomenon where adults cannot remember events from their early childhood, particularly before the age of 3 or 4. Unlike adult amnesia, which results from illness or injury, childhood amnesia occurs because young children’s brains are still developing the capacity to form and retain long-term memories. Thus, before they can create lasting memories, they have a limited ability to remember their experiences from those early years.