Memory

The study of human memory is a large enterprise, and research on the topic has applications to the field of education almost too numerable to list. During a normal day, students are asked to learn and retrieve information, remember to complete upcoming assignments, and deal with the frustrating shortcomings of memory familiar to us all. However, in spite of the large body of memory research that has accumulated over the years, several basic principles have been established that, if properly understood, provide a thorough and relatively concise overview of the field. These principles can best be established by crystallizing the vast body of knowledge concerning research on human memory into several basic and empirically supported assertions. The remainder of this entry provides breadth and detail to each of the following assertions with an eye toward the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical underpinnings of each.

First, most memory researchers now agree that there are several distinct types of memory, each with unique properties such as the amount of information it can contain and the length of time that information remains available. Second, there are different ways of testing an individual's memory performance, and some of these tests are more likely to detect existing memories than others. Third, the evidence supports the idea that there are at least two distinct memory systems, one that can be consciously summoned to complete a task at hand, the other a behind-the-scenes operator whose aid goes largely unnoticed. Fourth, circumstances such as illness, accident, and age can alter one's mnemonic abilities for the worse with sometimes devastating outcomes. Fifth, despite our vast reliance on and confidence in our recollections, memories can shift and become altered in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Finally, and perhaps most hopefully, there are a number of steps that can be taken to improve our memories.