Henry L. Roediger

This new edition of Human Memory: Theory and Practice contains all the chapters of the previous edition (unchanged in content) plus three new chapters. The first edition was published at a time when there was intense interest in the role of consciousness in learning and memory, leading to considerable research and theoretical discussion, but comparatively little agreement. For that reason, the topic was regretfully omitted. Since that time the field has crystallised, making it possible to incorporate three additional chapters concerning this, the most active area of memory research over the last decade. Specifically, the new chapters are concerned with: the philosophical and empirical factors influencing the study of consciousness; implicit knowledge and learning; and the evidence for implicit memory and its relationship to the phenomenal experience of "remembering" and "knowing". The book is aimed at a university or college student taking a course in human memory, but assumes that memory lies at the centre of cognition. Consequently, the links between memory and attention, perception, action and emotion are stressed, making it a useful core text for a more general course on cognitive psychology.

"Explores key topics in psychology, showing how they can be critically examined."--Jacket.

In 1932 Cambridge University Press published Remembering by psychologist Frederic Bartlett. The landmark book described fascinating studies of memory and presented the theory of schema that informs much of cognitive science and psychology today. In Bartlett's most famous experiment, subjects read a Native American story about ghosts and then retold the tale. Because their backgrounds were so different from the cultural context of the story, the subjects changed details that they could not understand. On the basis of observations like these, Bartlett developed his claim that memory is a process of reconstruction, and that this reconstruction is in important ways a social act. His ideas about the social psychology of memory and the cultural context of remembering were long neglected but are finding an interested and responsive audience today.

To most of us, learning something "the hard way" implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners. Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights into how memory is encoded, consolidated, and later retrieved have led to a better understanding of how we learn. Grappling with the impediments that make learning challenging leads both to more complex mastery and better retention of what was learned. Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement. - Publisher.