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Depending on the moment, our memory the register of our experiences ‑ can be a source of frustration, of pain, of delight, or of wonder. When we want to access it, often we cannot. Sometimes, when we wish memories would fade, they will not. At unaccountable moments, sweet dreams may find their way into our consciousness. Now and then, our sure recall of figure or fact may allow us to act with uncommon confidence and authority.
For as long as we have thought about “human nature," that aspect called "memory" has intrigued us. The scientific study of memory is a recent matter, however, tracing back only a little more than a century to the beginnings of psychology as a systematic, experimental science.
The tradition of memory research first begun by Ebbinghaus dominated the study of memory for nearly a century (1850-1909). In general, this tradition was based on the following assumptions: (1) that words were the primary mental units of language, (2) that when units were used together they became linked and were chained into larger units, (3) that complex behaviours and patterns of thought were assembled from simple units, and (4) that the mechanisms that produced learning and memory largely were automatic.
Today, however, our conception of what constitutes the valid study of memory has been broadened considerably. Memory theories based on rote memorization and extrapolation of basic principles from simple to complex behaviour largely have been supplanted by those that have attempted to describe complex, meaningful cognitive processes more directly. In the past three decades, especially, memory theorists have made immense strides in describing the nature of knowledge and in developing theories that permit predictions about the nature of learning, memory, and utilization of meaningful information.