Commentary Mechanisms of Change: Exploring not only When and What, but also How Declarative Memory Develops

Age-related changes in representational flexibility are a character-istic feature of declarative memory development. The authors suggest that a qualitative shift in the nature of infants ’ memory representations accounts for increasing memory flexibility with age. We will argue that a comprehensive theory of declarative memory development must (1) account for the effect of experience on flexibility, (2) be empirically separable from more parsimo-nious explanations, and (3) propose a mechanism by which the transition takes place. We will argue that a converging-methods approach is necessary to understand not only when and what develops in declarative memory, but also how developmental change occurs. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key words: imitation; declarative memory; flexibility To date, much of the research investigating infant memory has focused on determining when declarative memory develops. Some researchers argue tha