Sarah Zuckerman
October 12, 2013
Research Methodologies AVT 600
Assignment #4
Summary of chapters 1, 7, 8, and 9 from
"Marking the Mind: A History of Memory" by Kurt Danzinger
There are many
different theories on memory, if it is some kind of mystical force that cannot
be truly understood or if, through the compartmentalization of different
aspects of brain functions, it could be sorted through and comprehended. While
Aristotle identified the memory as being stored in the heart, medical groups
later suggested that different portions of the memory were situated within the
brain, the sections being the front, back and sides. Other cultures postulated
that it was stored within the brain tissue, others within fluid filled cavities
(222). There was then also processes of the brain such as imagination,
judgment, and intellect. When combined with the primary senses vision, hearing,
smell, taste, and touch (246), these were referred to as the “inner senses”. These
“inner senses” were studied through medical and philosophical scopes. In the
medical field they strove to pinpoint a place for each operation of the human
body, this came about mainly if there was some kind of incident that stopped
the use of a portion of “inner sense” and what that would effect. In the
philosophical field they thought more into how the “inner senses” were
connected and their capabilities (247, 248).
While there is a
vast history of the study of memory there are many different ways that groups
have studied it throughout the past. I tend toward the thinking of an
intertwining of different human aspects of the mind to inform memory. This
lends itself to explain such strong reactions to the sight, smell, sound,
taste, and touch of different outside objects that influence how we then feel
about them. Within my work I strive to learn about memory more from an inner
context but is interesting to see the development of the history of memory over
the last few thousand years.
Summary of Article
"A Basic-Systems Approach to Autobiographical Memory"
by David C. Rubin
Autobiographical memory is the recollection of
events that make up a person's past. These events are recalled in a different
manner than semantic memory, which is remembering general information or
concept based knowledge not associated with the recollection of events.
Autobiographical memory includes memories that many modalities are applied to
including vision, hearing, smell, emotion, narrative, and language. Since
multiple systems are involved in autobiographical memory, Rubin hypothesizes
that "the self is not a single entity... it is distributed among
individual systems (79)". The self then comes from how these systems
interact with each other and the world around them. Much of memory is shared
cultural experience and expectations rather than what an individual solely
remembers. Memories are also affected by the emotions tied to the event.
Emotional discrepancies have effect on memories, such as people with
depression, who have less specific memories and tend to combine similar feeling
events with one another. On the other hand, memories have seen to be enhanced
in people with panic disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder in relation to
threat-related provocations (81). Through different studies they have found
that the brain does not work as a uniform information-processing center, but as
unique interactions among basic systems (83).
Within this article I found it interesting how the dynamic between memory and emotions played out through different studies. As one who at different times has been dyagnosed with multiple things stated within the article I can reflect on my experiences and how they have come to form my memories and how I recall them. Through both readings I can see how the study of memory has transformed based on the period of time it was studied as well as the group that is reporting the findings.
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