Remembering: An Activity of Mind and Brain

Memory is a set of neural representations that must be found and reactivated to be experienced. It is a dynamic activity of the mind and brain, similar to attending, perceiving, and thinking. Encoding processes are the mental activities involved in perceiving and understanding, and retrieval is the partial reactivation of these processes. Episodic and semantic memory should be thought of as levels in a continuum of specificity, and age-related memory impairments are largely due to a difficulty with the self-initiation of appropriate encoding and retrieval operations.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 320 pages
\n Publication date: 10 June 2021
\n Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Memory is commonly perceived as a collection of neural representations, known as memory traces, which must be identified and reactivated in order to be experienced. It is frequently proposed that memory traces are organized in a hierarchical manner, with each trace being modified, sharpened, and differentiated through encounters with subsequent events.

Remembering: An Activity of Mind and Brain, authored by Fergus Craik, is a comprehensive exploration of human memory as a dynamic and active process involving the mind and brain. The author presents a contemporary perspective on human memory, arguing that it should be understood as a system of active cognitive processes akin to those underlying attending, perceiving, and thinking. Within this framework, encoding processes are seen as the mental activities involved in perceiving and understanding, while retrieval is characterized as the partial reactivation of these same processes.

The author proposes that episodic and semantic memory should be viewed as levels on a continuum of specificity rather than as distinct systems of memory. This perspective suggests that memory traces can be categorized based on their level of detail and the context in which they are stored. Furthermore, the book delves into Craik's views on working memory and age-related memory impairments. In the case of age-related memory impairments, the author attributes these losses primarily to difficulties with self-initiating appropriate encoding and retrieval operations, which can be compensated for, when necessary, by support from the external environment.

The development of these ideas is discussed extensively throughout the book, with examples drawn from the author's laboratory experiments as well as empirical and theoretical contributions from other researchers. Remembering: An Activity of Mind and Brain provides a broad overview of current ideas and findings in contemporary memory research, presented from the author's personal theoretical perspective. The book offers valuable insights into the complexities of human memory and its underlying mechanisms, making it a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in the field of psychology.

\n Weight: 636g\n
Dimension: 164 x 240 x 30 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780192895226\n \n