Why is the adult distribution of autobiographical memories seen around six to seven years old, but not before?

It is interesting to know that studies have shown that the overall size of the brain is relatively mature (about 95% of the adult volume) at the age of six to seven years old. There seems to be a correlation between the brain growth and the ability to remember. When the growth is stabilized at six to seven years old, our ability to remember also increases. Later studies have also shown that after the age of six to seven years old, the brain structure continue to change but at a very local and discrete pattern (Sowell et al., 2004). One possible hypothesis on why young children less than six years old have amnesia is due to their growing brain, which is undergoing constant changes and recalibration of their information storage location, and this makes the brain forget the information. Hence, information could be lost or forgotten , and after seven years old, when the brain stop growing, information storage becomes more stable and we can remember better. Summary The human brain has many different memory systems. This chapter covers the different types of memory systems based on information storage time and the type of information stored. Memory systems based on operation time can be classified into sensory memory, working memory (including short-term memory), and long-term memory. Long-term memory can be further categorized into the type of information stored. These are namely the declarative memory (also known as explicit memory) and the non-declarative memory (or implicit memory). Declarative memory stores information with conscious effort and the memory retrieved can be expressed in language. Declarative memory can be further refined into episodic and semantic memories. In contrast, non-declarative memory involves information that is acquired and retrieved at the unconscious level (without conscious effort). These are actions, habits, or skills learned through repetition and practice. Non-declarative memory can be divided into procedural and conditional memories.