Forgotten baby syndrome refers to a phenomenon in which young children are mistakenly left in vehicles.
Over 25% of parents with children under 3 have lost awareness of the child being present in the car at any point during the drive. [1]: 77 Each year, around the world, dozens of children die of vehicle-related hyperthermia. [a] [3] Because these numbers began to rise after the popularization of air bags [9]: 7 and rear-facing child safety seats, [1]: 76 researchers began to suspect that memory may be the culprit. [10]
According to David M. Diamond, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida who has been studying the phenomenon since 2004, the phenomenon is a consequence of tension between the brain's habit-memory and prospective-memory systems, [11] which is resolved when basal ganglia "habit memory" suppresses the " prospective memory" system of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, [1]: 78, 83 [12] [13] resulting in a false memory and what he calls "autopilot". [12] [13] [14] Other psychologists have suggested the phenomenon is functionally similar to forgetting keys in a car [15] or forgetting to post a letter. [16]
Diamond has identified common factors of the phenomenon as "stress, sleep deprivation, and change in routine". [13] Stephen Cowen, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona, has said that stress can render a person "more attentive to the immediate sensory stimuli or threats in your environment but not as attentive to your more distant memory of leaving your children in the car". [17]
There have been several efforts to address the phenomenon through technology, including back-seat alert systems (which note when a backseat is opened prior to driving), car-seat alarms (which detect whether a child is buckled in), [8] and end-of-trip reminders. [18] The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers have committed to the standardization of rear-seat-occupant alert systems by 2025. [19] Italy and Israel have enacted laws requiring such safety systems. [20]
Forgotten baby syndrome refers to a phenomenon in which young children are mistakenly left in vehicles.
Over 25% of parents with children under 3 have lost awareness of the child being present in the car at any point during the drive. [1]: 77 Each year, around the world, dozens of children die of vehicle-related hyperthermia. [a] [3] Because these numbers began to rise after the popularization of air bags [9]: 7 and rear-facing child safety seats, [1]: 76 researchers began to suspect that memory may be the culprit. [10]
According to David M. Diamond, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida who has been studying the phenomenon since 2004, the phenomenon is a consequence of tension between the brain's habit-memory and prospective-memory systems, [11] which is resolved when basal ganglia "habit memory" suppresses the " prospective memory" system of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, [1]: 78, 83 [12] [13] resulting in a false memory and what he calls "autopilot". [12] [13] [14] Other psychologists have suggested the phenomenon is functionally similar to forgetting keys in a car [15] or forgetting to post a letter. [16]
Diamond has identified common factors of the phenomenon as "stress, sleep deprivation, and change in routine". [13] Stephen Cowen, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona, has said that stress can render a person "more attentive to the immediate sensory stimuli or threats in your environment but not as attentive to your more distant memory of leaving your children in the car". [17]
There have been several efforts to address the phenomenon through technology, including back-seat alert systems (which note when a backseat is opened prior to driving), car-seat alarms (which detect whether a child is buckled in), [8] and end-of-trip reminders. [18] The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers have committed to the standardization of rear-seat-occupant alert systems by 2025. [19] Italy and Israel have enacted laws requiring such safety systems. [20]