Essentials of Human Memory

Psychology Press & Routledge Classic Editions

by Alan Baddeley

Essentials of Human Memory evolved from a belief that, although the amount we know about memory has increased enormously in recent years, it is still possible to explain it in a way that would be fully understood by the general reader.

After a broad overview of approaches to the study of memory, short-term and working memory are discussed, followed by learning, the role of organizing in remembering and factors influencing forgetting, including emotional variables and claims for the role of repression in what has become known as the false memory syndrome. The way in which knowledge of the world is stored is discussed next, followed by an account of the processes underlying retrieval, and their application to the practical issues of eyewitness testimony. The breakdown of memory in the amnesic syndrome is discussed next, followed by discussion of the way in which memory develops in children, and declines in the elderly. After a section concerned with mnemonic techniques and memory improvement, the book ends with an overview of recent developments in the field of human memory.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1999

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

[ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A minutious and exhausted, textbook about memory. Most marvellous experience as a reader. Recommend

[Dr. George H. Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baddeley is the real deal as far as general memory theory goes. Some of his research is getting a bit dated, and he isn't all that much into imaging studies and the like. But one cannot find a better writter when it comes to explaining and catagorizing the different types of memory that exist. Here we find the semantic, procedural, episodic, etc, breakdown that has become accepted as the norm in many circles. Baddeley expresses his ideas clearly, and provides many examples to support his view, usually via the application of study results that are adequately explained. His works are seminal, and I still refer to them on a regular basis.