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Memory and Emotion: The Making of Lasting Memories
Most of us remember where we were and what we were doing on September 11, 2001. Why do most experiences leave little trace while some―even terrible ordeals that people wish they could forget―leave memories that last a lifetime? That is the mystery at the heart of this book.
Drawing on fascinating research and case studies, James McGaugh, a distinguished neuroscientist, reveals that the key to understanding how memories are created may well be understanding how they are lost. He shows that lasting memories are not stored instantly. Why the delay? The author explains how the slow consolidation of memory has important adaptive consequences. It allows physiological processes activated by experiences to regulate the strength of the memory of the experiences. Emotionally arousing experiences induce the release of stress hormones, which act on the brain to influence the consolidation of our memories of recent experience. These findings have important implications for the controversial issues of post–traumatic stress disorder and repressed memory syndrome.
From the prescientific writings of William James to the animal studies of the memory-research pioneers Pavlov, Thorndike, and Tolman, to the latest research of psychologists and neurologists drawing on PET imaging studies of the brain and laboratory experiments involving a variety of drugs, this succinct book provides a wealth of information.
Drawing on fascinating research and case studies, James McGaugh, a distinguished neuroscientist, reveals that the key to understanding how memories are created may well be understanding how they are lost. He shows that lasting memories are not stored instantly. Why the delay? The author explains how the slow consolidation of memory has important adaptive consequences. It allows physiological processes activated by experiences to regulate the strength of the memory of the experiences. Emotionally arousing experiences induce the release of stress hormones, which act on the brain to influence the consolidation of our memories of recent experience. These findings have important implications for the controversial issues of post–traumatic stress disorder and repressed memory syndrome.
From the prescientific writings of William James to the animal studies of the memory-research pioneers Pavlov, Thorndike, and Tolman, to the latest research of psychologists and neurologists drawing on PET imaging studies of the brain and laboratory experiments involving a variety of drugs, this succinct book provides a wealth of information.
162 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2003
About the author
James L. McGaugh
21 books6 followersNeurobiologist, Ph.D in Psychology, Professor working on learning and memory
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2023
The initial remarks of this book, as well as it's writing, seemed to me to be less of a scientific account of memory but rather a book of general curiosities to a more broad public.
However, amisdt the chapter 3, and specially chapter 4, the narrative changed to a more esoteric and fascinating review of the literature on memory. For this reason, I feel forced to change my initial 3 star rating of the book to a 4 star.
Enjoy it :)
However, amisdt the chapter 3, and specially chapter 4, the narrative changed to a more esoteric and fascinating review of the literature on memory. For this reason, I feel forced to change my initial 3 star rating of the book to a 4 star.
Enjoy it :)
August 7, 2012
Another discounted book from the corner store. Written by McGaugh with a quote from Sapolsky on the cover and a quote from LeDoux on the back? It's practically required that I read this.
***
It's a very interesting book. It is intended for the layman, but there are sections where McGaugh goes on at length about different neurotransmitters (catecholamine, GABA, etc.) that can be a little intimidating. The list isn't there because you need to understand the details, though--it's there because you need to understand the complexity of the system, the excitatory vs. inhibitory effects of various neurotransmitters, and how isolating different neurotransmitters allowed researchers to confirm the importance of certain brain regions.
McGaugh is a giant in the field of learning & memory, so it's great to read this summary from one of the most important researchers in the field.
Although as a scientist McGaugh is unwilling to go out on any limbs and make any recommendations about how you should change your life in light of this research, I'll go there: study and practice before bed, go to sleep at a reasonable hour, and get a good night's rest. Sleep, the book suggests, is particularly important for memory consolidation.
***
It's a very interesting book. It is intended for the layman, but there are sections where McGaugh goes on at length about different neurotransmitters (catecholamine, GABA, etc.) that can be a little intimidating. The list isn't there because you need to understand the details, though--it's there because you need to understand the complexity of the system, the excitatory vs. inhibitory effects of various neurotransmitters, and how isolating different neurotransmitters allowed researchers to confirm the importance of certain brain regions.
McGaugh is a giant in the field of learning & memory, so it's great to read this summary from one of the most important researchers in the field.
Although as a scientist McGaugh is unwilling to go out on any limbs and make any recommendations about how you should change your life in light of this research, I'll go there: study and practice before bed, go to sleep at a reasonable hour, and get a good night's rest. Sleep, the book suggests, is particularly important for memory consolidation.
June 23, 2008
Not a dazzling easy read but one that respects the reader and proceeds in a meticulous way while expecting the reader to be able to concentrate. Good science writing but not of the sort that fires you up and entertainds.
Read
July 23, 2011Interesting book about the making and consolidation of memories and how emotion and traumatic events can shape the way we store memories. The fact about the medieval way for retaining memory is fascinating!
June 17, 2016
This book provides a scientific review about how memory works. How to boost your long term and short-term memory? The book is more organized as a summery of research findings by the author or others(researchers). It provides good scientific reasoning for some ideas cited by other books.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews