System-wide principles of memory: examining exceptions in working memory

在科学研究的大多数领域，都有一些规律和原则，它们是该领域研究和理论的基础。然而，在人类记忆的研究中，几乎没有原则，也没有规律。缺乏规律和原则的一个原因是，记忆不是一个单一的系统，而是一组不同的记忆系统，每个系统都根据不同的规则运作。正因为如此，发现记忆的一般规律或原则是不可能的。我的研究通过质疑是否真的有足够的证据证明将内存划分为5个独立的系统来检验这个问题。该研究项目主要关注短期记忆（也称为工作记忆）和长期记忆之间的区别，主要包括四个部分。在几乎所有的情况下，从记忆中提取一个项目都是从一个线索开始的。所谓提示，研究人员指的是一个特定的提示或查询，比如“我把车钥匙放在哪里了？”或者“《宾虚》里的那个演员是谁？”区分短期记忆和长期记忆的一个原因是，从短期记忆中提取不需要线索。这项研究通过寻找改变被认为储存在短期记忆中的物品的检索线索的影响，重新审视了这个问题。健忘的一个常见原因是干扰：当你试图记住你的新电话号码时，你会想起你以前的号码。区分短期记忆和长期记忆的第二个原因是短期记忆不受这种干扰。这项研究将检验这是否真的是事实。研究人员已经确定了几个“标志性”结果，表明一个人在某项特定任务中使用了短期记忆。第三个系列的研究着眼于在短期记忆不起作用的情况下，是否也能发现这些基准效应。(4)最后一个组成部分是建立一个不区分不同记忆系统的记忆数学模型。这是一个更大的研究计划的一部分，该计划假设存在一般的规律和原则，并侧重于制定和测试潜在的原则。它还将使加拿大的研究保持在这一关键领域的前沿。

In most areas of scientific research, there are laws and principles that are the foundation of research and theory within that domain. In the study of human memory, however, there are few principles and no laws. One reason offered for the lack of laws and principles is that memory is not a unitary system but rather, is a set of different memory systems, each of which operates according to different rules. Because of this, discovering general laws or principles of memory is not possible. My research examines this issue by questioning whether there really is sufficient evidence to justify dividing memory into 5 separate systems. The research programme focuses on the distinction between short-term memory (also known as working memory) and long-term memory and has four major components. (1) Retrieving an item from memory begins, in almost all situations, with a cue. By cue, researchers mean a specific prompt or query, such as "Where did I leave my car keys?" or "Who was that actor in 'Ben-Hur'?" One reason for distinguishing between short- and long-term memory is that retrieval from short-term memory does not require a cue. The research re-examines this issue by looking for effects of varying the retrieval cue for items thought to be stored in short-term memory. (2) One common cause of forgetting is interference: when trying to remember your new telephone number, you retrieve your previous number instead. A second reason for distinguishing between short- and long-term memory is that short-term memory is immune from this sort of interference. The research will test whether this is really the case. (3) Researchers have identified several 'signature' results that indicate that a person is utilizing short-term memory on a particular task. The third series of studies looks to see if these benchmark effects can be found in situations in which short-term memory is not playing a role. (4) The final component is the development of a mathematical model of memory that does not distinguish between memory systems. This is part of a larger research programme which assumes that there are general laws and principles and focuses on formulating and testing potential principles. It will also keep Canadian-based research at the forefront of this critical area.