24.06.2015Does sleep support the memory of babies?

Dr. Sabine Seehagen, Department for Clinical Child and Youth Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

“Why don’t you sleep on it!” is common advice regarding important decisions. In fact, it is scientifically proven that adult sleep supports cognitive processes, especially memory formation. But we know very little about how sleep affects the information processing of babies and toddlers. For example, can babies memorize better, if they have a long nap right after learning? The talk will give an overview of recent research findings on the role of sleep for learning and memorizing in the first year of life.