The Psychology Book by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2012-01-07T05:01:43+00:00

190 ENDEL TULVING

memorable event—such as the 9/11

terrorist attacks—occurs, are an

extreme example of this.

Tulving described recollection

from episodic memory as “mental

time travel,” involving us in a

Remembering is

revisiting of the past to access

mental time travel.

the memory. In his later work he

Endel Tulving

pointed out that episodic memory

is unique in featuring a subjective

sense of time. Specific to humans,

it involves not merely awareness of

what has been, but also of what

may come about. This unique

ability allows us to reflect on our

lives, worry about future events,

Emotional events such as weddings

and make plans. It is what enables

give rise to episodic memories. These

are stored in such a way that the

humankind to “take full advantage

person remembering relives the event,

of its awareness of its continued

in a form of “time travel.”

existence in time” and has allowed

us to transform the natural world

semantic memories are organized

provide a retrieval cue for the

into one of numerous civilizations

into meaningful categories of subject

semantic memory “Beijing,” the

and cultures. Through this facility,

matter, episodic memories are

mention of “40th birthday” might

“time’s arrow is bent into a loop.”

organized by relation to the specific

act as a cue for the retrieval of

time or circumstances in which

what had been said over that

Encoding information

they were originally stored. For

dinner. The more strongly these

Tulving realized that organization

example, a particular conversation

autobiographical memories are

is the key to efficient recall for both

may have taken place during a

associated with the time and

semantic and episodic memory, and

birthday dinner, and the memory

circumstances of their occurrence,

that the brain somehow organizes

of what was said would be stored

the greater their accessibility is

information so that specific facts

in association with that occasion.

likely to be. “Flashbulb memories,”

and events are “pigeonholed” with

Just as the category of “city” might

which are stored when a highly

related items. Recalling that specific

Endel Tulving

Born the son of a judge in Tartu,

University of Toronto, where

Estonia, Endel Tulving was

he graduated in psychology in

educated at a private school for

1953, and took his MA degree in

boys, and although a model

1954. He then moved to Harvard

student, he was more interested

where he gained a PhD for his

in sports than academic subjects.

thesis on visual perception.

When Russia invaded in 1944,

In 1956, Tulving returned to the

he and his brother escaped to

University of Toronto, where he

Germany to finish their studies

continues to teach to this day.

and did not see their parents again

until the death of Stalin 25 years

Key works

later. After World War II, Tulving

worked as a translator for the

1972 Organization of Memory

American army and briefly

1983 Elements of Episodic

attended medical school before

Memory

emigrating to Canada in 1949. He

1999 Memory, Consciousness,

was accepted as a student at the

and the Brain

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