New research findings and theories about
memory have exploded many of the myths
about remembering and forgetting. Naïve
notions about the permanence and reliability of
memories have been challenged by research
showing the suggestibility of eyewitness
accounts; simple models of short- vs. longterm
memory stores have been replaced by
more complex neural models of memory
processes. We explore some of these new
(i.e., from the last ten years or so) findings,
using the book by memory researcher Daniel
Schacter entitled The Seven Sins of Memory
(Houghton Mifflin, 2001). More recent
research literature is also examined, and we
perform some in-class experimental demonstrations
of the fallibility of our memories.
We also read a novel by Tim O’Brien, In the
Lake of the Woods (Penguin, 1994), view recent
films (e.g., Memento, 2000; Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind, 2004; 50 First Dates, 2004)
to consider and critique the popular images
and beliefs about memory.
Instructor: Terry L. Gottfried, rofessor of sychology, Lawrence University