What psychological factors contribute to parents forgetting children in cars?

The death of a 10-month-old Kentucky girl who authorities say was unintentionally left inside a vehicle after a missed daycare drop-off has renewed attention on a question that often emerges after similar tragedies: How can a loving parent or caregiver forget a child in a car? Psychologists and memory researchers say the answer often lies not in indifference or neglect, but in complex failures of memory and attention that can affect virtually anyone under certain circumstances, Consumer Reports shared.