Memory at Play: Examining Relations Between Episodic and Semantic Memory in a Children’s Museum

The relation between episodic and semantic memory was examined by testing how semantic knowledge influences children’s episodic memory for events and their locations. Five‐, six‐, and seven‐year‐olds ( N = 87) engaged in events in a children’s museum designed as a town. Events were semantically congruent or incongruent with the spatial location (e.g., sorting mail at post office vs. grocery store). In addition to this experimental paradigm, a semantic interview assessed children’s semantic knowledge about real‐world locations. Accuracy in the experimental paradigm showed that children’s semantic memory influenced memory for locations. Interviews revealed age‐related improvements in children’s semantic knowledge. Regression analyses examined factors that best supported episodic memory. These results provide novel insights and highlight the utility of research in naturalistic settings.