Species differences in ontogeny of memory: Indirect support for neural maturation as a determinant of forgetting.

Studied the development of long-term memory in 150 Sprague-Dawley rats and 80 male Hartley guinea pigs as a function of age, using active escape and passive avoidance tasks. Memory increased with age in the rats but did not change in the guinea pigs. It is concluded that neurological maturity at the time of original learning appears to be a major determinant of long-term memory. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)