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Title: The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers
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Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $7.41
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| Customer Reviews: |
| The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin Could be more compact | | This was a well written book by a knowledgeable researcher. Nevertheless, I believe the book would have been more interesting if it were not as lengthy. Some critics have pointed out the book was overly technical, however, it was written by a leading researcher in this field of neuroscience. I found the sin of persistence most interesting and informative. On the other hand I am still confused as to why two people suffering the same kind of trauma, for example, react differently to memories. Why is one plagued by memories while her counterpart does not appear to be affected? | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin explanation of memory | | The author describes how memory works and why we fail to recall things at times. A great chapter is the one that details how incidents that never happened are explained years afterwards by people who thought that they had happened after the incidents were spoken about enough times. A very detailed book that is easy to read. | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin A great read for anyone interested in Memory & Forgetting | | This book is for anyone interested in memories and just how malleable they really are! | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin I'd give it more than five stars if I could | | We're all concerned with memory, right? Schachter knows that, and he has written a lively book of great interest to everyone, professionals and laypersons alike. In a folksy, fun style, he starts out by reviewing the most interesting and pertinent research on the vagaries of memory, including forgetfulness, suggestibility, blocking, persistence, etc. You can liven up a party or even your family meal by telling friends and family about some of the amazing research that he reports in this concise little volume. But he saves the best for last. In the final chapter (I hate to give it away - you can stop reading if you don't want to know the ending), he argues that the foibles of memory that we incessantly complain about are actually virtues, enabling us to function more effectively in the environment. If this is true, we can stop worrying and go with it. I really enjoyed this well-written and educational book, and I've been recommending it to everyone. | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin Interesting subject, but way too lengthy and ultimately boring. | If you are interested in this book, you are probably a baby boomer concerned about the aging of your mind due to occasional forgetfulness. Schacter will give you much comfort that your brain is most probably perfectly fine. Daniel Schacter explains that our brains are programmed to forget and delete trivial clutter to allow our cognitive resources to deal with the contemporary complexities of daily life. I thought the brain worked like a bad hard disk PC drive. After reading this book, I understand it works like an excellent Internet browser that automatically empty its cache memory, so it can function on new searches. Schacter mentions patients endowed with near perfect memory. They were overwhelmed by information overload. Not able to differentiate trivia from important information, they lead dependent miserable lives. Schacter made me understand that there is nothing perfect about a perfect memory.
Schacter also made me aware how unreliable our memories are. This has serious judicial implications affecting the credibility of eyewitnesses and plaintiffs relying on recalled memories from their childhood. Next time you concede an argument because the other party stated they clearly remembered a specific situation, attempt to get to the objective data to check the evidence. Memories are highly fallible.
So why am I giving this book a 2? It is because the writing is dry and lengthy. Another author, Aaron Nelson in his book "Achieving Optimal Memory" elegantly summarizes "The Seven Sins..." in just 11 pages. You actually don't learn much more after reading the entire 200 pages of "The Seven Sins..." Schacter shares so many clinical examples in such exhaustive details about each of the Sins, that he exhausts most readers in the process. Instead, I do recommend "Achieving Optimal Memory" that covers not only the "Seven Sins" but a lot more and much more efficiently in a much easier to read 200 page book. | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin Product Description | A groundbreaking work by one of the world's foremost memory experts, THE SEVEN SINS OF MEMORY offers the first framework that explains common memory vices -- and their surprising virtues. In this intriguing study, Daniel L. Schacter explores the memory miscues that occur in everyday life: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. Schacter illustrates these concepts with vivid examples -- case studies, literary excerpts, experimental evidence, and accounts of highly visible news events such as the O.J. Simpson verdict, Bill Clinton's grand jury testimony, and the search for the Oklahoma City bomber. He also delves into striking new scientific research, giving us a glimpse of the fascinating neurology of memory. Together, the stories and the scientific results provide a new look at our brains and at what we more generally think of as our minds.
Winner of the William James Book Award | | The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Houghton Mifflin Amazon.com's Best of 2001 | | Illustrating decades of research with compelling and often bizarre examples of glitches and miscues, Daniel L. Schacter's The Seven Sins of Memory dusts off an old topic and finds material of both practical and theoretical interest. Chairman of Harvard's Department of Psychology, Schacter knows his stuff and how to present it memorably. Organizing the book by examining each of seven "sins," such as absent-mindedness and suggestibility, Schacter slowly builds his case that these sometimes enraging bugs are actually side effects of system features we wouldn't want to do without. For example, when we focus our attention on one aspect of our surroundings, we inevitably draw attention away from others: Consider this scenario: if you were watching a circle of people passing a basketball and someone dressed in a gorilla costume walked through the circle, beat his chest, and exited, of course you would notice him immediately--wouldn't you? [Researchers] filmed such a scene and showed it to people who were asked to track the movement of the ball by counting the number of passes made by one of the teams. Approximately half of the participants failed to notice the gorilla. Scientists concerned about interesting a general audience would do well to use more gorilla suits. Schacter elegantly weaves this curiosity into his text along with clinical stories and frontline research. Recent advances in brain imaging have boosted his field considerably, and the formerly remote psychological territory has yielded plenty of exciting discoveries. Though some of the practical material seems like reheated common sense (Haunted by a traumatic memory? Talk about it.), it's backed up by solid scientific work. Write a note, tie string around the finger, or hire an assistant for reminders, but by all means remember to pick up a copy of The Seven Sins of Memory. --Rob Lightner |
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