The Cultural Foundation of Human Memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Memory Research ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Mind

Human memory, as a product of the mind and brain, is inherently private and personal. Yet, arising from the interaction between the organism and its ecology in the course of phylogeny and ontogeny, human memory is also profoundly collective and cultural. In this review, I discuss the cultural foundation of human memory. I start by briefly reflecting on the conception of memory against a historical and cultural background. I then detail a model of a culturally saturated mnemonic system in which cultural elements constitute and condition various processes of remembering, focusing on memory representation, perceptual encoding, memory function, memory reconstruction, memory expression, and memory socialization. Then I discuss research on working memory, episodic memory, and autobiographical memory as examples that further demonstrate how cultural elements shape the processes and consequences of remembering and lay the foundation for human memory. I conclude by outlining some important future directions in memory research.

Working with working memory and language

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sharwood Smith
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Storage Facility ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Memory Research ◽  
Second Language Development ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Mind

Working memory is generally understood to refer to a limited storage facility for information temporarily needed during online processing. It figures with increasing frequency both in studies on second language development and more widely in research on bilingual and multilingual acquisition and attrition studies. The importance of the concept to our understanding justifies the appearance of this special issue, in which both general and specifically second language (L2) oriented topics related to working memory are discussed. Unsurprisingly, working memory is a theoretical concept that remains subject to controversy since we still have much to learn about how the mind and brain work. Many researchers do not do research that focuses on the nature of memory itself but at the same time still rely on the concept and the various types of related measures that have been developed in psychology for their own investigations: for these researchers, it is still important to keep abreast of developments in memory research both within and beyond their own area.

scholarly journals The Dynamic-Processing Model of Working Memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-387
Author(s):  
Nathan S. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Dynamic Activity ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
Latent Representations ◽  
Dynamic Processing ◽  
Conventional Models ◽  
The Mind

Recent shifts in the understanding of how the mind and brain retain information in working memory (WM) call for revision to traditional theories. Evidence of dynamic, “activity-silent,” short-term retention processes diverges from conventional models positing that information is always retained in WM by sustained neural activity in buffers. Such evidence comes from machine-learning methods that can decode patterns of brain activity and the simultaneous administration of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to causally manipulate brain activity in specific areas and time points. TMS can “ping” brain areas to both reactivate latent representations retained in WM and affect memory performance. On the basis of these findings, I argue for a supplement to sustained retention mechanisms. Brain-decoding methods also reveal that dynamic levels of representational codes are retained in WM, and these vary according to task context, from perceptual (sensory) codes in posterior areas to abstract, recoded representations distributed across frontoparietal regions. A dynamic-processing model of WM is advanced to account for the overall pattern of results.

scholarly journals Remembering: An Activity of Mind and Brain

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fergus I.M. Craik
Keyword(s):  
Divided Attention ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Dynamic Processes ◽  
Levels Of Processing ◽  
Memory Research ◽  
Processing Approach ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
Neural Bases ◽  
Professional Contexts

I present the case for viewing human memory as a set of dynamic processes rather than as structural entities or memory stores. This perspective stems largely from the construct of levels of processing, reflecting work I published with Robert Lockhart and with Endel Tulving. I describe the personal and professional contexts in which these and other ideas evolved, and I discuss criticisms of the ideas and our responses to critics. I also show how later versions of a processing approach to memory may fit with current findings and theories in memory research. In related work I have been involved in studies of cognitive aging, and I describe some theoretical and empirical points deriving from this aspect of my research efforts. Finally, I deal briefly with some experiments and reflections on divided attention, consolidation, and bilingualism and touch upon the neural bases of a processing approach.

scholarly journals Sex differences in cortisol and memory following acute social stress in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly J. Murphy ◽  
Travis E. Hodges ◽  
Paul A.S. Sheppard ◽  
Angela K. Troyer ◽  
Elizabeth Hampson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Amci Group ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractObjectiveOlder adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) develop Alzheimer’s type dementia approximately ten times faster annually than the normal population. Adrenal hormones are associated with aging and cognition. We investigated the relationship between acute stress, cortisol, and memory function in aMCI with an exploratory analysis of sex.MethodSalivary cortisol was sampled diurnally and during two test sessions, one session with the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), to explore differences in the relationship between cortisol and memory function in age-normal cognition (NA) and aMCI. Participants with aMCI (n=6 women, 9 men; mean age=75) or similarly aged NA (n=9 women, 7 men, mean age=75) were given tests of episodic, associative, and spatial working memory with a psychosocial stressor (TSST) in the second session.ResultsThe aMCI group performed worse on the memory tests than NA as expected, and males with aMCI had elevated cortisol levels on test days. Immediate episodic memory was enhanced by social stress in NA but not in the aMCI group, indicating that stress-induced alterations in memory are different in individuals with aMCI. High cortisol was associated with impaired performance on episodic memory in aMCI males only. Cortisol in Session 1 moderated the relationship with spatial working memory, whereby higher cortisol was associated with worse performance in NA, but better spatial working memory in aMCI. In addition, effects of aMCI on perceived anxiety in response to stress exposure were moderated by stress-induced cortisol in a sex-specific manner.ConclusionsWe show effects of aMCI on Test Session cortisol levels and effects on perceived anxiety, and stress-induced impairments in memory in males with aMCI in our exploratory sample. Future studies should explore sex as a biological variable as our findings suggests that effects at the confluence of aMCI and stress can be obfuscated without sex as a consideration.

Individual Differences in Value-Directed Remembering

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake L. Elliott ◽  
Samuel M. McClure ◽  
Gene Arnold Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Capacity Limits

Prioritized encoding and retrieval of valuable information is an essential component of human memory due to capacity limits. Individual differences in value-directed encoding may derive from variability in stimulus valuation, memory encoding, or from strategic abilities related to maintenance in working memory. We collected multiple cognitive ability measures to test whether variation in episodic memory, working memory capacity, or both predict differences in value-directed remembering among a large sample of participants (n=205). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling was used to assess the contributions of episodic and working memory to value sensitivity in value-directed remembering tasks. Episodic memory ability, but not working memory capacity, was predictive of value-directed remembering. These results suggest that cognitive processes may be differentially related to value-based memory encoding.

scholarly journals Minds and brains of media multitaskers: Current findings and future directions

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (40) ◽  
pp. 9889-9896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melina R. Uncapher ◽  
Anthony D. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Media Multitasking ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
Multiple Media ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Media And Technology

Media and technology are ubiquitous elements of our daily lives, and their use can offer many benefits and rewards. At the same time, decisions about how individuals structure their use of media can be informed by consideration of whether, and if so how, the mind and brain are shaped by different use patterns. Here we review the growing body of research that investigates the cognitive and neural profiles of individuals who differ in the extent to which they simultaneously engage with multiple media streams, or ‟media multitasking.” While the literature is still sparse, and is marked by both convergent and divergent findings, the balance of evidence suggests that heavier media multitaskers exhibit poorer performance in a number of cognitive domains, relative to lighter media multitaskers (although many studies find no performance differences between groups). When evidence points to a relationship between media multitasking level and cognition, it is often on tasks that require or are influenced by fluctuations in sustained goal-directed attention. Given the real-world significance of such findings, further research is needed to uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of observed differences, to determine the direction of causality, to understand whether remediation efforts are needed and effective, and to determine how measurement heterogeneity relates to variable outcomes. Such efforts will ultimately inform decisions about how to minimize the potential costs and maximize the many benefits of our ever-evolving media landscape.

scholarly journals Formation and synaptic control of active transient working memory representations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Becker ◽  
Andreas Nold ◽  
Tatjana Tchumatchenko
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Mechanistic Explanation ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Memory Impairments ◽  
Molecular Alterations ◽  
Healthy Working ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
Synaptic Control

AbstractNeural representations of working memory maintain information temporarily and make it accessible for processing. This is most feasible in active, spiking representations. State-of-the-art modeling frameworks, however, reproduce working memory representations that are either transient but non-active or active but non-transient. Here, we analyze a biologically motivated working memory model which shows that synaptic short-term plasticity and noise emerging from spiking networks can jointly produce a working memory representation that is both active and transient. We investigate the effect of a synaptic signaling mechanism whose dysregulation is related to schizophrenia and show how it controls transient working memory duration through presynaptic, astrocytic and postsynaptic elements. Our findings shed light on the computational capabilities of healthy working memory function and offer a possible mechanistic explanation for how molecular alterations observed in psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia can lead to working memory impairments.

scholarly journals Postmortem neurodegenerative markers and trajectories of decline in cognitive systems

Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. e831-e840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Wilson ◽  
Jingyun Yang ◽  
Lei Yu ◽  
Sue E. Leurgans ◽  
Ana W. Capuano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Alzheimer Disease ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Hippocampal Sclerosis ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Cognitive Systems ◽  
Perceptual Speed ◽  
Alzheimer Disease Pathology

ObjectiveTo assess whether neurodegenerative pathologies are differentially related to trajectories of change in different cognitive abilities.MethodsAt annual intervals for up to 21 years, 915 older participants in a longitudinal clinical-pathologic cohort study completed a battery of 15 tests from which previously established composite measures of episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed were derived. At death, they underwent a neuropathologic examination to quantify Alzheimer disease pathology, Lewy bodies, transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology, and hippocampal sclerosis plus multiple markers of cerebrovascular disease. Time-varying effect models were used to assess change over time in the relation of neuropathologic markers to cognitive trajectories.ResultsControlling for pathology, decline in perceptual speed was evident about 15 years before death; modest decline in semantic and working memory occurred later; and there was little change in episodic memory. Each neurodegenerative marker was associated with lower episodic memory function beginning about 10 to 16 years before death. As time before death decreased, Alzheimer disease pathology, Lewy bodies, and hippocampal sclerosis were associated with impairment in other cognitive domains but the association of TDP-43 pathology with cognition continued to be mainly confined to episodic memory.ConclusionsThe results suggest that episodic memory impairment is an early sign of multiple neurodegenerative conditions, which primarily differ in their associations with other cognitive systems.

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