The Act of Remembering: Toward an Understanding of How We Recall the Past

by John H. Mace (Editor)

Overview

Remembering is arguably the most important aspect of memory. However, after more than 100 years of memory research, it remains far from fully understood. Furthermore, elements of the process of retrieval--such as the difference between voluntary and involuntary recall--remain a mystery.

This volume expands the understanding of autobiographical remembering and draws attention to hitherto neglected areas of research. It offers a number of theoretical views, tackling key questions such as functionality, the problem of volition, and the larger role of consciousness. It covers the methodology used to study retrieval, pointing out advances, limitations, and future challenges in the field. Contributors discuss topics such as retrieval inhibition, the role of repetition in future recall, and intrusive memories in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

The Act of Remembering is the first volume devoted solely to autobiographical memory retrieval, and brings together contributions from leading researchers from around the world. It serves as a primer for the field, as well as a roadmap that will guide present and future researchers  as they continue to solve the problem of remembering.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781444351712
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	07/07/2011
Series:	New Perspectives in Cognitive Psychology , #3
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

John H. Mace is a cognitive psychologist who specializes in the study of memory. He is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Eastern Illinois University, and author of Involuntary Memory (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007).

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Table of Contents

Preface vii

List of Contributors viii

Part I Introduction 1

1 The Act of Remembering the Past: An Overview John H. Mace 3

2 From Diaries to Brain Scans: Methodological Developments in the Investigation of Autobiographical Memory Christopher T. Ball 11

Part II Theories and Reviews of Involuntary and Voluntary Remembering 41

3 Involuntary Remembering and Voluntary Remembering: How Different Are They" John H. Mace 43

4 Accessing Autobiographical Memories Martin A. Conway Catherine Loveday 56

5 Involuntary and Voluntary Memory Sequencing Phenomena: An Interesting Puzzle for the Study of Autobiographical Memory Organization and Retrieval Jennifer M. Talarico John H. Mace 71

6 Spontaneous Remembering is the Norm: What Integrative Models Tell Us About Human Consciousness and Memory Stan Franklin Bernard J. Baars 83

7 Priming, Automatic Recollection, and Control of Retrieval: Toward an Integrative Retrieval Architecture Alan Richardson-Klavehn 111

Part III Broader Issues in the Science of Remembering 181

8 Understanding Autobiographical Remembering from a Spreading Activation Perspective John H. Mace 183

9 Retrieval Inhibition in Autobiographical Memory Bernhard Pastötter Karl-Heinz T. Bäuml 202

10 Seeing Where We're At: A Review of Visual Perspective and Memory Retrieval Heather J. Rice 228

11 The Emergence of Recollection: How We Learn to Recall Ourselves in the Past Robyn Fivush Patricia J. Bauer 259

12 You Get What You Need: The Psychosocial Functions of Remembering Susan Bluck Nicole Alea Burcu Demiray 284

Part IV Theories of Abnormal Remembering 309

13 Exploring Involuntary Recall in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from an Information Processing Perspective: Intrusive Images of Trauma Julie Krans Marcella L. Woud Gérard Näring Eni S. Becker Emily A. Holmes 311

14 Unwanted Traumatic Intrusions: The Role of Pre-trauma Individual Differences in Executive Control Johan Verwoerd Ineke Wessel 337

15 The Content, Nature, and Persistence of Intrusive Memories in Depression Alishia D. Williams Michelle L. Moulds 361

Author Index 385

Subject Index 399

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

The Act of Remembering provides a comprehensive treatment of autobiographical memory retrieval, which has emerged as a key topic in both psychology and neuroscience. Ranging broadly across cognitive, developmental, clinical, and neuropsychological approaches, leading researchers provide a state-of-the-art overview of where the field has been and where it is going. This volume is essential reading for anyone involved in memory research.
—Daniel L. Schacter, Harvard University

This volume is composed of chapters by experts on how memories are retrieved from autobiographical memory. Although several books on autobiographical memory exist, this is the first exclusively focused on processes of retrieval (the act of remembering). The book is wide ranging, including chapters on both involuntary and voluntary memories and even on the topic of intrusive memories that sometimes occur after traumatic events (and in depression). I can recommend it with enthusiasm to all researchers interested in remembering.
—Henry L. Roediger, III, Washington University at St. Louis

Editorial Reviews

"All in all, this is a serious book about a most fascinating subject. What do you wish you could remember or forget?." (PsychologyToday.com , 1 March 2011)

From the Publisher