The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.

The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.

Forgetting Futures reignites the debate about the crisis of memory and the search to understand the relationship between past and present, remembering and forgetting. In the book Petar Ramadanovic presents an elegant critique of the most significant concepts of memory, from Plato to Nietzsche, as he challenges the prevalent, Aristotelain understanding of memory as mere repeated presentation of the past in the present. Ramadanovic skillfully examines the power of traumatic memory in history. Through an analysis of Cathy Caruth and a ground breaking revisionist interpretation of Toni Morrison's Beloved he shows how the memory of the Holocaust and slavery has shaped American identity. This unique study of memory places trauma, identity, and race under the intellectual microscope resulting in a book of great use for literary and cultural studies scholars, and educated readers seeking to learn more about the relationship between history and memory.

Given two events, both of which are well remembered, can we specify which event occurred first? If so, how? For example, did Nixon resign, before or after Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs? Originally published in 1977, little was known about the accuracy of temporal codes for memories, and still less about the nature of the codes. This volume addresses the central question of the mechanisms by which order information is attached to memories. The results of sixteen previously unpublished experiments indicate the role of some independent variables on temporal coding in relatively short-term memory and in long-term memory. Several experiments, in which changes in proactive inhibition are used as an index of temporal differentiation, show that the nature of the words making up the lists is involved fundamentally in temporal coding. Other experiments demonstrate that in relatively short-term memory a subject cannot learn to improve his performance in estimating how far apart in time two events occurred. Still other experiments show that recency judgments for two events improve with practice, but the improvement is independent of the temporal separation. The context in which memories are established is shown to influence temporal codes only if an ordering metric is part of the context. The author advances several theoretical propositions to account for the various findings. In doing so he has given initial structuring for subsequent research to a neglected area. This volume will still be of significant interest to all those interested in learning and memory.

Originally published in 1993, this book provides the clinician, researcher and student with a comprehensive account of the neuropsychology of the amnesic syndrome. The opening chapter places the amnesic syndrome within the overall context of memory disorders and provides a theoretical basis for understanding the presentation of the clinical and experimental findings which form the major part of the work. The second chapter provides an extensive account of the various methods used to assess memory and associated deficits and provides guidelines as to the most effective assessment strategy. The next five chapters are concerned with the specific aetiologies giving rise to the amnesic syndrome: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome; Thalamic Amnesia; Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia; Herpes Simplex Encephalitis; and ruptured aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery. Each of these chapters contains an account of the associated neuropathology, descriptions of experimental findings and illustrative case histories from the authors' own experimental and clinical experience. The next chapter provides the reader with an account of some of the more important scientific issues that have arisen from the studies of the amnesic syndrome and a final chapter considers current and future prospects for behavioural remediation of severe memory deficit.

Originally published in 1979, this book contains papers presented at a conference held in 1977 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the University of Uppsala. Beyond the commemoration, the main reason for this conference was to get students of memory together to discuss and evaluate the memory research that had already been carried out, was presently underway and to speculate about the type of research in this area that would be carried out in the future. The contributors were specifically asked to concentrate on overall theoretical and metatheoretical questions at the cost of empirical problems. With chapters from many of the leading experts in the field this is an opportunity to enjoy some of their early insights.

This edited volume addresses memory practices among youth, families, cultural workers, activists, and engaged citizens in Lebanon and Morocco. In making a claim for 'the social life of memory,' the introduction discusses a particular research field of memory studies, elaborating an approach to memory in terms of social production and engagement. The Arab Spring is evoked to draw attention to new rifts within and between history and remembrance in the regions of North Africa and the Middle East. As authoritarian forms of governance are challenged, official panoramic narratives are confronted with a multiplicity of memories of violent pasts. The eight chapters trace personal and public inventories of violence, trauma, and testimony, addressing memory in cinema, in newspapers and periodicals, as an experience of public environments, through transnational and diasporic mediums, and amongst younger generations.

The Greeks invented them. All manner of people in the European Middle Ages used them, often with creative and brilliant effect. Victorian schoolmasters in England almost buried them and the pupils who had to cram facts parrot-fashion. Originally published in 1972, this title brought mnemonics back into focus with a new collection designed for current use. A mnemonic is anything that gets your memory working. When in the month does the third quarter-day fall? What order have the planets from the sun? Are you sure about the kings and queens of England? People nowadays have so much to remember that even those quite happy with 2 = 1.414 may prefer to chant 'I wish I know the root of two' and remind themselves in that way. Although some entries are very much of their time, this title reminds us that mnemonics are still a useful tool in a world where technology means most people feel they have little need to remember.

Originally published in 1979, this volume contains chapters prepared following a conference at SUNY- Binghamton in 1977. The conference was the outcome of exciting new developments that had occurred in the ontogeny of learning and memory at the time, as well as a long-standing friendship between the editors. Many changes had taken place in the years leading up to this volume and there were now many more researchers active in the field. This volume reflected the rapidly changing state of this research area at the time and includes early contributions from researchers now well established in the field.

There was some agreement about what memory traces were not, but little about what actually did characterize the memory trace. Yet models and theories of memory at the time could not help making implicit and often unrecognized assumptions about the memory trace. Originally published in 1982, this title aimed to strengthen the meagre base on which memory theories rested at the time. It challenges old assumptions and introduces new concepts, foremost the notion of singularity, as they become necessary to understand traces adequately. Some research data of the past was found in need of reinterpretation. The result is a new theory of the memory trace.

Originally published in 1976, this volume contains new and original contributions of the time addressed to a related set of ideas concerning processes of memory in animals. The theme is that animals remember and that theories of animal learning must take this into account as well as the coding processes that have been assumed to be specific to human beings. The focus of the book is on processes, and some progress is reported in differentiating types of memory. The emphasis in applying animal work to studies of human memory is made not in terms of paradigms but in terms of processes implicated via performance in a variety of tasks. Also, many of the chapters reflect the usefulness of applying a memory framework to a variety of "nonmemory" paradigms. This work will be essential reading for all those interested in animal as well as human memory, and provided the most up to date and broadest examination of animal memory processes at the time, from both a theoretical and conceptual framework.

Devoted exclusively to prospective memory, this volume organizes the research and thoughts of the important contributors to the field in one comprehensive resource. The chapter authors not only focus on their own work, but also review other research areas and address those where the methods and theories from the retrospective memory literature are useful and where they fall short. Each section is followed by at least one commentary written by a prominent scholar in the field of memory. The commentators present critical analyses of the chapters, note ideas that they found particularly exciting, and use these ideas as a foundation on which to elaborate their own views of prospective memory. This volume will stimulate the thinking of active prospective memory researchers, provide a coherent organization of the area for the increasing number of people who are interested in prospective memory but who are not yet actively conducting research in the area, and serve as a book of readings for upper division seminars.

Originally published in 1928 this short essay looks two rival theories of the time, both hypothetical, and explores which one 'better fits the facts'. Whether memory depends on "enduring traces" in brain structure (to use the language of Professor Semon), or whether it depends on records in "psychical structure" (to use the language of Professor McDougall). Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

Originally published in 1978, the contributors to this volume offer here chapters and position papers concerned with children's memory. The chapters represent in-depth reports on children's sensory memory, rehearsal processes, and organizational processes, as well as treatments of constructive aspects of children's memory, the representational-development hypothesis, and memory in pre-schoolers. The position papers address critical issues confronting researchers in memory development, including the developmental implications of multistore and levels-of-processing models of memory, as well as distinctions between semantic and episodic memory, recall and recognition, and deliberate and nondeliberate aspects of children's memory. An historical overview provides an introduction to the volume, leading the reader to the very latest in new directions of research in this area at the time. This volume will be of interest to all concerned with the development of memory in children.

'Someday we expect that computers will be able to keep us informed about the news. People have imagined being able to ask their home computers questions such as "What's going on in the world?"...'. Originally published in 1984, this book is a fascinating look at the world of memory and computers before the internet became the mainstream phenomenon it is today. It looks at the early development of a computer system that could keep us informed in a way that we now take for granted. Presenting a theory of remembering, based on human information processing, it begins to address many of the hard problems implicated in the quest to make computers remember. The book had two purposes in presenting this theory of remembering. First, to be used in implementing intelligent computer systems, including fact retrieval systems and intelligent systems in general. Any intelligent program needs to use and store and use a great deal of knowledge. The strategies and structures in the book were designed to be used for that purpose. Second, the theory attempts to explain how people's memories work and makes predictions about the organization of human memory.

Originally published in 1983, the 14 chapters in this volume are based upon presentations made to a conference held at the University of Western Ontario in June, 1981. The primary purpose of that conference was to mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Allan Paivio's text, Imagery and Verbal Processes, and to acknowledge the continuing contribution that Paivio was making to imagery research and theory at the time. His landmark book had been the major publication in the field of imagery, and during the decade prior to this volume Paivio's theorizing and research dominated the investigation of imaginal processes. It was felt the most appropriate way to honor his achievements and activities, was to hold a conference on current developments in imagery research and theory at the time.

Originally published in 1980, this title came about after many late night discussions between the authors during a 3-week workshop on Mathematical Approaches to Person Perception in 1974. In subsequent meetings a mutual interest emerged in the development of cognitive information processing metaphors for human thought and their application to problems of social perception, memory and judgment. Within the context of modern research on social cognition, the most distinctive aspects of the authors' work was its empirical focus on how people cognitively represent people in memory, and its theoretical emphasis on models of cognitive organization and process. They concluded that an adequate theory of social memory was the necessary foundation for solutions to many questions concerning social perception and judgment that had dominated the 1974 workshop. This volume summarizes work conducted between 1974 and 1979 on social memory by these authors. In addition to six chapters summarizing individual research programs, the volume includes a general introduction and a concluding theoretical integration.

As a conceptual framework for the investigation of human memory, the levels-of-processing paradigm had enjoyed immense popularity since its introduction in the early 1970s. It was the impetus behind literally hundreds of experiments and was used as an "explanation" for a wide range of retention phenomena. Consequently, a wealth of data and theory had emerged, and this title assimilates and evaluates this information. Originally published in 1979, the distinguished contributors to the volume - both proponents and opponents of the levels-of-processing framework - present here their latest data and ideas on a viewpoint that has been a tremendous influence in memory research and related areas.

In this volume, the author argues that literacy is a complex combination of various skills, not just the ability to read and write: the technology of writing, the encoding and decoding of text symbols, the interpretation of meaning, the retrieval and display systems which organize how meaning is stored and memory. The book explores the relationship between literacy, orality and memory in classical antiquity, not only from the point of view of antiquity, but also from that of modern cognitive psychology. It examines the contemporary as well as the ancient debate about how the writing tools we possess interact and affect the product, why they should do so and how the tasks required of memory change and develop with literacy's increasing output and evoking technologies.

Originally published in 1974, this volume presents empirical and theoretical investigations of the role of meaning in psychological processes. A theory is proposed for the representation of the meaning of texts, employing ordered lists of propositions. The author explores the adequacy of this representation, with respect to the demands made upon such formulations by logicians and linguists. A sufficiently large number of problems are encompassed by the propositional theory to justify its use in psychological research into memory and language comprehension. A number of different experiments are reported on a wide variety of topics, and these test central portions of this theory, and any that purports to deal with how humans represent meaning. Among the topics discussed are the role of lexical decomposition in comprehension and memory, propositions as the units of recall, and the effects of the number of propositions in a text base upon reading rate and recall. New problems are explored, such as inferential processes during reading, differences in levels of memory for text, and retrieval speed for textual information. On the other hand, a study of retrieval from semantic memory focusses on a problem of much current research. The final review chapter relates the present work to other current research in the area at the time.

Many patients with stroke, head injuries or dementia suffer severe memory impairment and in many cases improvement may fail to occur. This book, first published in 1984 followed by this second edition in 1992, offers practical guidelines to the problems and is supported by a discussion of theory about memory systems and functioning. It should enable therapists and psychologists to recognize, understand, assess and manage memory problems arising from injury, accident or infection of the brain. The authors are well-known for their interest in memory and memory therapy. Topics covered in this text include: the relationship between memory and practice, assessment, methods for improving memory, organization of memory therapy, selection of appropriate treatments for individual patients, role of the microcomputer in memory rehabilitation, use of drugs in stimulating memory, development of programmes to improve attention and the treatment of the memory-impaired in groups. This second edition has an update on drugs, electronic aids and assessment procedures, with further evidence of the effectiveness of memory therapy. This book would have been an asset for those professionals involved in the rehabilitation of the impaired memory at the time and can still be of value today.

Originally published in 1982, this book brings together two areas of research previously studied in parallel, with little interaction (particularly in the US): normal memory processing and the amnesic syndrome. When trying to document the relationship between the two it became apparent that there was much crossover and duplication of effort in a number of areas: whether long-term memory and short-term memory truly represent independent storage systems, or are simply points on a continuum; trying to determine the primary locus of variables influencing the rate at which information is lost during retention; whether episodic memory and semantic memory represent two different storage systems, or are simply artifacts produced by different kinds of query to a single memory system and finally, whether visual and verbal memory are independent. It was written, following a meeting in 1979, by a small group of investigators, brought together to explore this commonality and to share data and theory, thus beginning the promise of a bright future of interdisciplinary interaction in memory research.

Originally published in 1986, this book was written for undergraduates who had completed an introductory course in psychology, and aimed to acquaint the student with the core of recent experimental findings and theoretical ideas concerning human memory. Each chapter deals with a specific area of memory research but care is taken to build on what has been covered in preceding chapters, so providing an integrated treatment of the subject. Thus, the book can comfortably be read from cover to cover, or selected issues can be referred to in isolation. Important features of the book include discussion of fundamental issues about the nature of the scientific process, the role of models and theories in it, and the historical development of models of human memory. Also, the treatment of 'Forgetting' includes chapters on motivational aspects (psychopathological forgetting, post-hypnotic amnesia, and directed forgetting), and organic amnesia.

Originally published in 1978, this volume contains the evidence that is most crucial for our understanding the processes of forgetting and retention. Organized in terms of problem areas and issues that are particularly pertinent to understanding these processes, the book deals with both animal and human studies. The author begins by defining the topic and reviewing its historical development. A theoretical orientation follows, and then the author begins to address the major factors that determine what is, and what is not, remembered. Although we cannot yet specify the principles from which we can predict when an episode, once learned, will be remembered well or forgotten entirely, the author demonstrates that such principles are not that far away. He considers the issues that must be resolved before such principles are established, and in the course of doing so covers the major research on why we remember events and why they are forgotten.

Originally published in 1980, this book contains the proceedings from a memorial conference held in honour of George A. Talland, who made a significant contribution to the area of memory and aging. The major objective of the volume was to stimulate research towards a more comprehensive understanding of age related differences in memory. It was also hoped it would provide direction for the application and utilization of research findings in the evaluation and treatment of memory complaints and memory difficulties experienced by the elderly. The book was intended for two broad groups of scientists. The first being researchers in the psychology of memory, and those who were currently active in the research on aging at the time. The second group was those concerned with applying current research findings to the diagnosis and treatment of problems of memory.