Memory Retrieval

The basis for memory recall remains an active area of study. Memory retrieval
can be of two types: recognition and recall. In recognition, the individual
is presented with information that had been previously learned. The
subject remembers he or she has already observed or learned that information.
In effect, it is analogous to seeing a movie or book for the second time.
In recall, information is reproduced from memory, as in response to a question.
The physiological basis for retrieval probably involves the activation of
regions of the brain which were involved in the initial encoding.

Sources for Further Study
Baddeley, Alan D. Human Memory: Theory and Practice. Rev. ed. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1998. Updated edition of a classic text. The original emphasis
on history of memory research continues, along with experimental views
of consciousness and implicit memory.
Collins, Alan, ed. Theories of Memory. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1993.
Emphasis of the book is on research into theories of memory, particularly
that of a cognitive approach. Various explanations are presented.
Hunt, R. Reed, and Henry Ellis. Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology. 6th ed.
Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1999. The authors approach the role of cognitive
psychology in memory using an experimental problem-solving approach.
Updated theories explaining both long-term and short-term memory, as
well as retrieval, are included.

Kandel, Eric. “The Molecular Biology of Memory Storage: A Dialogue Between
Genes and Synapses.” Science 294 (2001): 1030-1038. A summary of
the Nobel Prize-winning research into the physiological basis of memory.
The author provides an experimental approach in differentiating shortterm and long-term memory at the molecular level. The article requires
some knowledge of neural function.
Neisser, Ulric. Cognition and Reality: Principles and Implications of Cognitive Psychology.
San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1981. This book marked the acceptance
of cognitive psychology as a major component within the approach
to the study and understanding of memory. The major goals of
the approach are described. Many of the author’s suggestions as to an experimental
approach using real-world models have been applied in subsequent
years.

Norman, Donald A. The Psychology of Everyday Things. 1988. Reprint. New
York: Basic Books, 2002. An enjoyable approach to the subject. The author
emphasizes the cognitive approach in dealing with problems. Topics
include recognition of both good and bad design as well as ways to improve
design based upon psychology of the consumer.
Nyberg, Lars, et al. “Reactivation of Encoding-Related Brain Activity During
Memory Retrieval.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America 97 (September 26, 2000): 11, 120-121, 124. Description
of positron emission tomography (PET) studies which monitor
brain activity during memory recall. The authors demonstrate, through
linkage of visual and auditory recall, that recall involves regions of the
brain initially involved in memory formation.
R. G. Gaddis; updated by Richard Adler
See also: Brain Structure; Memory: Animal Research.