Psychology of Memory

by Alan Baddeley

Analyzes current major trends in memory research, considering their historical significance and importance outside the laboratory

430 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Alan Baddeley is Professor of Psychology at York and one of the world's leading authorities on human memory. He is celebrated for devising the ground-breaking and highly influential working memory model with Graham Hitch in the early 1970s, a model which still proves valuable today in recognising the functions of short-term memory. He was awarded a CBE for his contributions to the study of memory, is a Fellow of the Royal Society, of the British Academy and of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Reviews

[Robin Cunninghame Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The scope of experimental psychology's approach to memory, arranged chronologically, is impressive. However, that strength is also its weakness. As Baddeley himself admits, it has little relevance to how people use memory (or forget) in everyday life. Furthermore, he says absolutely nothing about how people remember, misremember or forget events (apart from a very small section on eye-witness testimony), which is probably due to the difficulty in examining it experimentally. However, an overview of current theories of everyday remembering and suggestions as to how they might be tested would have strengthened the book. Still a good introductory text despite its age.