Methods used to study memory

The study of memory incorporates research methodologies from neuropsychology, human development and animal testing using a wide range of species. The complex phenomenon of memory is explored by combining evidence from many areas of research. New technologies, experimental methods and animal experimentation have led to an increased understanding of the workings of memory.

It is usually desirable to study memory in humans because we have the ability to subjectively describe experiences, and have the intellect to perform complex and indirect tests of memory. Lesion studies allow us to reduce the neural mechanisms of memory, and results from finely constructed psychological tests can help us make inferences about how memory works. Neuropsychologists attempt to show that specific behavioural deficits are associated with specific sites of brain damage. The famous case of HM, a man who had both his medial temporal lobes removed resulting in profound amnesia, illustrates how brain damage can tell us a lot about the inner workings of memory. One of the fundamental problems with studying human patients who have already acquired brain damage is the lack of experimental control. Comparisons usually have to be made between individuals; exact lesion location and individual differences cannot be controlled for.

Hermann Ebbinghaus began the scientific study of human memory with this treatise On Memory is 1885. Ebbinghaus experimented on himself by testing his own ability to memorize lists of randomly arranged syllables presented at regular pace of 2.5 syllables per second. He would record how long it took him to memorize a list of syllables and also how quickly he would lose the memorization. With this data, he traced learning and forgetting curves. Ebbinghaus also collected data on his ability to memorize at different times of the day and under different conditions. His work later influenced G.E. Müller who continued the tradition of lists of items to conduct memory experiments on human subjects and using behavioral data to develop models of memory. The two most common types of memory studied using these methods are recognition and recall.

Recognition memory is the ability to judge whether or not the cued item was previously presented on the list usually with a yes or no response. This memory is akin to the type of memory used for police line-ups. The particular task described used to be called "item recognition". Scientists study the rates of hits (correct "yes" responses) related to the rates of false alarms (incorrect "yes" responses) with statistical analysis to develop theories on how the recognition judgement is stored and retrieved. These theories are then developed into memory models.

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