Understanding Memory

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about what memory is, focusing in particular on: (i) the origin of memory improvement discussions being with orators in ancient Greece; (ii) different forms that questions can come in, to evoke retrieval of different types of memory; (iii) a key research finding, that memory is not simply akin to a computer filing system in the way that it stores information, but instead retrieval is a process; (iv) an example of a memory retrieval malfunction, whereby false memories were present in a person’s mind after an aneurism; (v) the important note that memory is the coming together of information, as it doesn’t consist of only one type of information.

About the lecturer

Dr Ashok Jansari is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr Jansari’s research interests include memory disorders, prosopagnosia, executive functions, and synaesthesia. Dr Jansari is most famous for his research into prosopagnosia, having made numerous TV appearances, including on BBC1’s The One Show, as well as hosting his own ‘Neuro Talk’ YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/DrAshokJansariNeuroTalk/featured

Some of Dr Jansari's recent publications include 'Acquired synaesthesia following 2C-B use' (2019), 'Using virtual reality to investigate multitasking ability in individuals with frontal lobe lesions' (2019), and 'Identification from CCTV: Assessing police super-recogniser ability to spot faces in a crown and susceptibility to change blindness' (2018).