Final answer:
Infantile amnesia may be explained by the underdevelopment of cognitive systems in infants, such as immature language skills and prefrontal cortex functions, hindering memory encoding and retrieval.
Step-by-step explanation:
One of the cognitive explanations for infantile amnesia, which is the inability to recall memories from early childhood, is the development of cognitive systems. Specifically, the lack of developed language skills in infants and the immaturity of the prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in encoding and retrieving memories. As a child grows, so do their language abilities and prefrontal cortex functions, which may explain why memories formed after these developments are more easily recalled. Early developmental psychologists, like Jean Piaget, observed that very young children do not demonstrate object permanence—a cue that their cognitive systems are still developing. This lack of cognitive development might contribute to infantile amnesia due to the insufficient encoding and storage of memories at an early age.