Feature binding in children and young adults

The authors measured memory for individual features (objects only or locations only) and the combination of those features (objects and locations) in 9-, 12-, and 21-year-old students with a yes or no recognition task. Analysis of recognition memory performance (d' scores) revealed that although age differences existed in memory for individual features, age differences were greater in the tasks that required memory for combined features (objects and locations). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that age remained a significant predictor of memory performance in the combination condition even after the authors statistically removed memory performance in object and location conditions and the interaction effects of object and location. These results provide evidence for developmental differences in the binding of features in memory.