Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory

by Andrew E. Budson, Elizabeth A. Kensinger, Daniel L. Schacter PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

Remember things better by understanding how your memory works. If memory is a simple thing, why does it so often go awry? Why is forgetting so common? How can you be certain about something you remember--and be wrong about it? Why is it so difficult to remember people's names? How can you study hard for an exam but not be able to recall the material on the test? In Why We Forget, Dr. Andrew Budson and Dr. Elizabeth Kensinger address these questions and more, using their years of experience to guide readers into better memory. Why We Forget and How to Remember Better shows you how to use these answers to improve your memory. In its pages you will learn: ? How memory's most important function isn't to help you remember details from your past. ? How memory is actually a collection of different abilities. ? How you create, store, and retrieve memories of your daily life. ? Ways to control what you remember and what you forget. ? Ways to distinguish between a true and false memory. ? Effective ways to study for an exam. ? How to remember people's names, all your passwords, 50 digits of Pi, and anything else you wish. ? How memory changes in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and other disorders-including COVID brain fog. ? How exercise, nutrition, alcohol, cannabis, sleep, mindfulness, and music affect your memory. Why We Forget and How to Remember Better uses the science of memory to empower you with the knowledge you need to remember better, whether you are a college student looking to ace your next exam, a business professional preparing a presentation, or a healthcare worker needing to memorize the 600+ muscles in the human body.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197607756
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/04/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	540,240
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Andrew E. Budson, Chief, Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology and Associate Chief of Staff for Education, VA Boston Healthcare System, Associate Director & Education Core Leader, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Lecturer in Neurology, Harvard Medical School Andrew Budson majored in chemistry and philosophy at Haverford College, graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School, interned at Brigham and Women's Hospital, attended the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Residency Program, and then pursued a clinical fellowship in behavioral neurology and dementia at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a research post-doctoral fellowship in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience at Harvard University. He has given over 700 talks and published over 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals. From the American Academy of Neurology he received the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology in 2008 and the Research Award in Geriatric Neurology in 2009. Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD,Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College Elizabeth Kensinger majored in psychology and biology at Harvard University and received her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University and the Massachusetts General Hospital, she joined the faculty of Boston College, where she is now a Full Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She directs a research laboratory that investigates many aspects of human memory, including how emotion, stress, and sleep affect memory, and how memory strengths shift as adults age, and she teaches courses on these topics.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Daniel Schacter Preface Part 1: All the ways to remember Chapter 1: Memory is not one thing Chapter 2: Travel back in time Chapter 3: Keep it in mind Chapter 4: Muscle memory Chapter 5: Our store of knowledge Chapter 6: What we remember together Part 2: Remembering the days of our lives Chapter 7: Do you need to try to remember? Chapter 8: Get it into your memory - and keep it there Chapter 9: Retrieve that memory Chapter 10: Associate information Chapter 11: Control what you forget and remember Chapter 12: Are you sure that's not a false memory? Part 3: When there is too little memory - or too much Chapter 13: Just normal aging - or is it Alzheimer's disease? Chapter 14: What else can go wrong with your memory Chapter 15: When you can't forget Chapter 16: Those who can remember everything Part 4: How to remember better Chapter 17: Exercise, exercise, exercise Chapter 18: Diet, alcohol, and drugs Chapter 19: Sleep Chapter 20: Do the right things Chapter 21: Use strategies Chapter 22: Use memory aids Chapter 23: Putting it all together Appendix: Twelve tips to remember better Acknowledgments References About the Authors Index

Editorial Reviews

2024 PROSE Award Winner - Biomedicine and Neuroscience

"This book is an essential read for all those concerned with memory loss and should be a part of all collections in the behavioral and social sciences." — Library Journal

"In "Why we Forget", memory experts Andrew Budson and Elizabeth Kensinger provide readers with a practical and clearly explained masterclass in how memory works and how to keep it working well as we age. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and maximize their memory functions." — Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University and Internally Bestselling Author of Healthy Brain Happy Life and Good Anxiety

"In this highly readable book, two authorities on the science of memory and the brain unpack everything you could want to know about memory and memory disorders. You will find surprising answers here to fascinating puzzles - for example, why we form false memories, why someone with Alzheimer's disease remembers how to play the piano but forgets the names of family members, how to distinguish between memory decline due to normal aging and disorders of memory, and why sleep is so important for memory. In addition, the authors describe evidence-based ways to remember better and to defend against false memories." — Ellen Winner, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at Boston College and author of the bestselling book, How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration

"Budson and Kensinger have done a marvelous job creating an accessible summary of the wide-ranging field of memory research. A perfect place to start for anyone interested in understanding this fundamental human capacity." — Joshua Foer, B.A., Author of bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein

"This book delivers on all fronts. Written by two of the most eminent memory scientists in the world, the book draws in the reader immediately - engaging both the practitioners of the science of memory as well as those who are new to memory research. The reader is presented with many relatable, everyday examples and practical tips, and with concrete steps that unfold and explain complex theories of memory and forgetting. The authors cover a wide range of representative phenomena about when memory works and when it fails. The book delves into the neuroscience of memory and effects of aging at one end, strategies for improving memory at the other, and many key topics in between. I want this book for my memory course, and for my family and friends who are curious about how memory works." — Suparna Rajaram, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook University

"Everyone knows how memory works, we have our own experiences of remembering and forgetting to go on. But the science of memory, as Budson and Kensinger engagingly recount, teaches us so much more—how it really works and how it doesn't. And how this scientifically grounded knowledge enriches our understanding of our own minds." — Ken Paller, Ph.D., Padilla Chair and Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University

"the book is worth the time for anyone wanting a better understanding of how memory works. Recommended. All readers." — Choice

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

Memory experts Budson (Memory Loss, Alzheimer's Disease, and Dementia) and Kensinger (Emotional Memory Across the Adult Lifespan) clearly explain how memory works and how it can be improved. False memories and the best ways to remember daily information, such as the name of a person one just met or where a person parked their car, are also discussed. The book further breaks memory down into three types: episodic, which triggers recall, such as how one celebrated their last birthday or where they were when a historical event occurred; procedural memory, which enables one to remember how to do something even if one has not done it in several years, such as ride a bicycle; and collective memory, which is when people remember something done during a lifetime or someone they met in the past. Examples of that include remembering a college roommate or a previous job. Data in this book is based upon hundreds of published scientific studies and insights from these esteemed specialists. VERDICT This book is an essential read for all those concerned with memory loss and should be a part of all collections in the behavioral and social sciences.—Claude Ury

Library Journal