Published Articles
"The Altering of Reported Experiences," by Daniel Offer, Marjorie Kaiz, Kenneth I. Howard, and Emily Bennett. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33:6. June 2000.
This article, published in a scientific journal, describes how memory for some of the most important events in our lives is not always as accurate as we think it is.
Books
Memory: From Mind to Molecules, by Larry Squire and Eric Kandel. (New York: Scientific American Library, 2000).
Larry Squire and Eric Kandel are two of the scientists at the forefront of memory research. They have produced a very readable book which explains some of the most important concepts of how memory works.
Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind, and the Past, by Daniel L. Schacter. (New York: Harper Collins, 1997).
Daniel Schacter, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, explains what neuroscientists understand about how human memory works and what can happen when it does not. The book's coverage of false memory is especially complete.
The Emotional Brain, by Joseph LeDoux (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998).
Joseph LeDoux is a professor at New York University, and is well known for his research into the amygdala, a small brain structure which is critical for the emotional component of memory. This is a non-technical book which explains what we know about the amygdala and about emotional memory.
The Brain, by Richard Restak (New York: Bantam Books, 1984).
This engaging book is a companion to a popular PBS television series of the same name. It covers the basics of anatomy and functioning of the brain, and how the brain gives rise to such complex behaviors as memory, language and reasoning.
How the Mind Works, by Steven Pinker (New York: W. Norton, 1997).
This bestselling book addresses how the mind works and why it might have evolved. The author, Steven Pinker, is a professor of psychology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Memory and Aging
Web Sites:
National Institute on Aging's "Age Page": http://www.nih.gov/nia/health
This site contains a number of articles about aging and memory loss. One good article is: Forgetfulness in Old Age: It's Not Always What You Think. National Institute on Aging, 1993. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. To browse the Age Page, go to http://www.nih.gov/nia/health and click on "NIA Publications List."
Exploratorium Museum's Memory Exhibit: http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory
This permanent online exhibit on the web site of San Francisco's Exploratorium museum includes many engaging and informative articles about human memory. A recent edition featured "Young in Mind," an article from the Exploratorium's online magazine, "Exploring Online, that profiles a groups of senior citizens who are working to keep their memories healthy by remaining mentally active.
Books:
Learning and Memory in Normal Aging, by Donald H. Kausler (New York: Academic Press, 1994).
This is a book targeted at students and researchers in the field of memory. For those willing to read the technical material, the book contains a comprehensive review of research documenting which kinds of memory are affected by aging, and which show little impairment in elderly people. The book is now a few years old, but still a good reference.
