Memory Distortion

Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Lawrence E. Sullivan is Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame, and former Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University.

This is a particularly timely book that compiles the presentations from a 1994 conference sponsored by the Harvard Center for the Study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior. The uniqueness of this volume comes from the diversity of its contributors. It brings together neurobiological, cognitive, psychiatric, neuropsychological, and sociocultural perspectives on the issue of memory distortion. The fundamental theme running through this book is that remembering is a process of reconstruction...The volume competently demonstrates that mind-brain sciences have progressed to a level where scientists of differing ilk may each proffer a different level of analysis...and yet have a meaningful dialogue.

• Preface Gerald D. Fischbach and Joseph T. Coyle Memory Distortion: History and Current Status Daniel L. Schacter Part I: Cognitive Perspectives The Reality of Illusory Memories Elizabeth F. Loftus, Julie Feldman, and Richard Dashiell Constructive Memory and Memory Distortions: A Parallel-Distributed Processing Approach James L. McClelland False Beliefs: Some Developmental and Clinical Considerations Stephen J. Ceci Part II: Psychiatric and Psychopathological Perspectives Hypnosis and Suggestion David Spiegel Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Psychobiological Mechanisms of Traumatic Remembrance John H. Krystal, Stephen M. Southwick, and Dennis S. Charney Mood-congruent Memory Biases in Anxiety and Depression Susan Mineka and Kathleen Nugent Part III: Neuropsychological Perspectives Biological Foundations of Accuracy and Inaccuracy in Memory Larry R. Squire Confabulation Morris Moscovitch Part IV: Neurobiological Perspectives Emotional Activation, Neuromodulatory Systems, and Memory James L. McGaugh Speculations on the Fidelity of Memories Stored in Synaptic Connections Rodney A. Swain, Kim E. Armstrong, Thomas A. Comery, Aaron G. Humphreys, Theresa A. Jones, Jeff A. Kleim, and William T. Greenough Steps Toward a Molecular Definition of Memory Consolidation Ted Abel, Cristina Alberini, Mirella Ghirardi, Yan-You Huang, Peter Nguyen, and Eric R. Kandel Part V: Sociocultural Perspectives Some Patterns and Meanings of Memory Distortion in American History Michael Kammen Dynamics of Distortion in Collective Memory Michael Schudson Ancient Egyptian Antijudaism: A Case of Distorted Memory Jan Assmann Part VI: Concluding Reflections Notes on the Cerebral Topography of Memory and Memory Distortion: A Neurologist's Perspective Marek-Marsel Mesulam Memory Distortion and Anamnesis: A View from the Human Sciences Lawrence E. Sullivan Contributors Index