Subsequent normative studies of adults' earliest memories have shown that Freud probably overestimated the period of infantile amnesia. In fact, one goal of Freud's psychoanalytic process was to 'unlock' these hidden memories to allow patients to come to terms with the traumatic thoughts and experiences of their childhood. He believed that memories for our infancy and early childhood were stored in pristine condition, but were actively repressed due to their emotionally and sexually charged content. Freud's most often-cited explanation of infantile amnesia was highly influenced by his patient population. On the basis of these patient reports, Freud argued that the period of infantile amnesia extended into the sixth or eighth year of life. Sigmund Freud originally identified the phenomenon of infantile amnesia by asking his patients to describe their earliest personal memories in the course of therapy. The absence of autobiographical memory for events that occurred during infancy and early childhood is commonly referred to as infantile (or childhood) amnesia. Do you remember being born? Your first birthday party? Your first day of school? Despite the significance of these early experiences, most adults recall little or nothing about them.

Childhood infantile amnesia