I've thought a lot about this over the years as it feels like I can remember a lot from before the age of three. This has gotten me thinking if I'm really remem

I've thought a lot about this over the years as it feels like I can remember a lot from before the age of three. This has gotten me thinking if I'm really remembering, or if say, pictures of events or things parents shared caused me to believe I was remembering. The thing is though, much of what I really remember is stuff I've never talked about with anyone - the first time I saw a dead bird or playing in the sandbox or seeing the sagebrush blow by from the backseat of the car on a road trip that must have been 1978. And, the more I create prompts for myself - say something like "What can I remember about my Kindergarten classroom?" for example, the more the memories start flooding back. Heck, I feel like I can remember individual days at pre-school, and I would have only been 3 or 4. I definitely remember the Iran hostage crisis being on TV at grandma's house, and I wouldn't have been more than 2 when that happened. All that to say... I think some of it is the result of either novelty or trauma. Like when the brain first experiences something, it is more likely to make a point to remember it over it being something less novel and thus less memorable. What's odd to me is I can remember pictures of some events that must have happened before I was about 4 that I really don't remember apart from seeing the pictures and acknowledging that apparently I was there - which tells me the things I do remember must be actual memories rather than some kind of implanted suggestion.