Time windows in cognitive development.

The problem of integrating new information with old is fundamental to the development of cognition. The solution to this problem underlies establishment of the knowledge base, learning, category formation and expansion, the modification and selective strengthening of memories, language acquisition, access to information after very long intervals, and individual differences in a number of different domains. This article introduces a new construct, the time window, that characterizes when and how such integration occurs. It describes the characteristics of time windows, evidence for them, factors that affect them, research illustrating their generality, and their theoretical and applied implications