The “what” and “where” of the threat superiority effect in children's memory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21602003 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elodie Lhoste (0009-0007-4748-2966, Université Bourgogne Europe, CNRS, LEAD UMR5022, 21000 Dijon, France, corresponding author), Patrick Bonin (0000-0003-1576-863X, Université Bourgogne Europe, CNRS, LEAD UMR5022, 21000 Dijon, France), Patrick Bard (0000-0001-5464-4766, Université Bourgogne Europe, CNRS, LEAD UMR5022, 21000 Dijon, France), Bénédicte Poulin-Charronnat (0000-0003-3244-6747, Université Bourgogne Europe, CNRS, LEAD UMR5022, 21000 Dijon, France), Annie Vinter (0000-0003-4108-6106, Université Bourgogne Europe, CNRS, LEAD UMR5022, 21000 Dijon, France) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Memory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0965-8211 • E-ISSN: 1464-0686 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09658211.2026.2681870 |
| PMID | 42223979 |
| OpenAlex | W7163054467 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 82 |
Although a substantial body of research has demonstrated a processing advantage for threatening entities compared to nonthreatening ones in adults, very few studies have investigated the effect of threat on memory processes in children. The present study aimed to address this gap by testing memory for dangerous entities and their locations in 88 children aged 5-10 years. To do so, the children played Memory games on a digital tablet. Location memory was assessed by recording the number of errors made when matching card pairs. Item memory was assessed using a free recall task administered after the Memory game session. The results revealed a significant threat superiority effect for both item and location memory. Specifically, dangerous animals were remembered better than nondangerous ones as early as age 5. Location memory advantages for threatening items emerged by the age of 8. Further analysis showed significant relationships between memory performance and the emotional dimensions of the stimuli (arousal and emotional intensity). Finally, modern threats were recalled better than evolutionary threats, although no differences were observed in location memory. Overall, these findings provide further evidence to support the idea that threatening information has an adaptive value in memory processes during childhood
Adaptive memory · Childhood memory · False Memory · Free recall · Implicit memory · Memory errors · Recall · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Memory Processes and Influences · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Prepared social learning about dangerous animals in children
Fears, phobias, and preparedness
Emotion drives attention
Rethinking the Emotional Brain
Mechanisms of emotional arousal and lasting declarative memory
Manulex
Lexique 2
The Amygdala Modulates the Consolidation of Memories of Emotionally Arousing Experiences
Human emotion and memory
Memory--a Century of Consolidation
Two routes to emotional memory
Negative Emotion Enhances Memory Accuracy
G*Power 3
Are natural threats superior threats
Can the processing of task-irrelevant threatening stimuli be inhibited? – The role of shape and valence in the saliency of threatening objects
A module is a module is a module
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Fearful expressions gain preferential access to awareness during continuous flash suppression
The Role of Fear-Relevant Stimuli in Visual Search
The shape of threat
The detection of fear-relevant stimuli
Finding the face in the crowd
Development of free recall learning in children
The face in the crowd revisited
Adaptive Content Biases in Learning about Animals across the Life Course
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |