Problems with the Knowledge-Based Explanation of Memory and Development

This article is a critique of the claim that knowledge alone can account for the variance of memory and development. There are two parts: a brief historical sketch of the movement towards a knowledge-based view of memory and development and a discussion of some of its problems. The problems discussed are the equivocal nature of much of the data cited to support the knowledge-based view, the evidence that suggests that domain independent strategies influence memory and development, and the evidence for a domain independent tool of developmental import. Finally, the implications of these problems as they relate to theories of memory and development are discussed.