Writing in the first century of our common era, the Greek biographer Plutarch marveled at the accomplishments of memory. “What wonders it performs in preserving and guarding the past.” Memory is truly wonderful, and yet we all know that memory can also be imperfect. We forget much of what we have experienced and at times even prune and reshape our recollections in accord with our wishes, beliefs, and thoughts of the moment. The present and following chapters will examine still other influences that can distort our memories – our feelings.

Introduction

Before going further, it will be helpful to introduce some terms that psychologists typically employ when they discuss memory. When Plutarch made his comment about the wonders of memory, he was generally referring to people's ability to be consciously aware of their past experiences. Many researchers refer to this as declarative memory, the ability to recall particular facts or events. We will be concerned with this kind of memory in much of this chapter, such as when we're considering the accuracy of an eyewitness's memory of a witnessed crime. However, people can also remember some things that do not involve specific pieces of information: notably the skills they acquired in the past, such as how to ride a bicycle, swing a golf club, or shift gears when driving a car. This is often termed procedural memory. In addition, psychologists frequently distinguish between explicit and implicit memory, essentially a difference based on how memory is accessed.