Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·29 July 2026
Only adults used broad memory context to guide choices; kids used single memories at every age.
Kids as young as 8 already use single memories of past choices to guide new decisions. But only adults, not children or teens, could use the wider context tied to many related memories. People with sharper memory used remembered events more often when deciding, and this also linked to how far ahead they could plan. The study tested 106 people ages 8 to 25 using a two day choice task.
The size and age range of the group tested on the memory and choice task.
One lab task, 106 people, no proof memory causes better planning.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 30 July 2026. Nora C. Harhen, Aaron M. Bornstein et al., Developmental changes in memory structure and precision alter the use of retrieved episodes during decisions for reward Read the source