Forgetting PDF Download

Author: Scott A. Small
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0593136195
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
“Fascinating and useful . . . The distinguished memory researcher Scott A. Small explains why forgetfulness is not only normal but also beneficial.”—Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Code Breaker and Leonardo da Vinci Who wouldn’t want a better memory? Dr. Scott Small has dedicated his career to understanding why memory forsakes us. As director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University, he focuses largely on patients who experience pathological forgetting, and it is in contrast to their suffering that normal forgetting, which we experience every day, appears in sharp relief. Until recently, most everyone—memory scientists included—believed that forgetting served no purpose. But new research in psychology, neurobiology, medicine, and computer science tells a different story. Forgetting is not a failure of our minds. It’s not even a benign glitch. It is, in fact, good for us—and, alongside memory, it is a required function for our minds to work best. Forgetting benefits our cognitive and creative abilities, emotional well-being, and even our personal and societal health. As frustrating as a typical lapse can be, it’s precisely what opens up our minds to making better decisions, experiencing joy and relationships, and flourishing artistically. From studies of bonobos in the wild to visits with the iconic painter Jasper Johns and the renowned decision-making expert Daniel Kahneman, Small looks across disciplines to put new scientific findings into illuminating context while also revealing groundbreaking developments about Alzheimer’s disease. The next time you forget where you left your keys, remember that a little forgetting does a lot of good.

Author: Suzanne Corkin
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141931566
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
In Permanent Present Tense Suzanne Corkin tells the incredible story of the amnesiac Henry Gustave Molaison - known only as H.M. until his death in 2008 - and what he taught medical science, neuroscience and the world. In 1953, at the age of twenty-seven, Molaison underwent an experimental psychosurgical procedure intended to alleviate his debilitating epilepsy. The outcome was devastating - when Molaison awoke he was unable to form new memories and for the rest of his life would be trapped in the moment. But Molaison's tragedy would prove a gift to humanity, illuminating functions and structures of the brain and revolutionizing the neuroscience of memory. His amnesia became a touchstone for memory impairment in other patients. For nearly five decades, distinguished neuroscientist Suzanne Corkin studied Molaison and oversaw his care. Her account of his life and legacy in Permanent Present Tense reveals an intelligent man who, despite his profound amnesia, was altruistic, friendly, open, and humorous. She explores how his case transformed an entire field, helping to address eternal questions. How do we store and retrieve memories? How do we know that there are different kinds of memory, controlled by different brain circuits? Is our identity bound up with remembering? If you can recall people or events for only a few seconds and cannot learn from the past or plan the future, can you still live a meaningful life? Permanent Present explores the astonishing complexity of the human brain with great clarity, sensitivity, and grace, showing how one man's story challenged our very notions of who we are. Suzanne Corkin is Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience and head of the Corkin Lab at MIT. The author of nine books, Corkin lives in Charlestown, Massachusetts. 'A fascinating account of perhaps the most important case study in the history of neuroscience, rich with implications for our understanding of the brain, our experience, and what it means to be human' Steven Pinker, author of 'How the Mind Works' and 'The Stuff of Thought' 'The best way to understand memory is to witness the ways it can disassemble. In this remarkable book, Suzanne Corkin gifts us with a rare insider's view, revealing how a man who could not remember his immediate past so profoundly influenced science's future' David Eagleman, neuroscientist and New York Times-bestselling author of 'Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain' 'Suzanne Corkin has written an enjoyable and sensitive story of H.M.'s life and what it has taught us about memory. Millions of patients have been the source of advances in science but few are celebrated as individuals. We learn through H.M. that 'Our brains are like hotels with eclectic arrays of guests-homes to different kinds of memory, each of which occupies its own suite of rooms' Philip A. Sharp, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 'Drawing on her unique investigations over more than four decades, neuroscientist Suzanne Corkin relates the fascinating story of how one severely amnesic man transformed our understanding of mind, brain, and memory' Howard Gardner, author of 'Multiple Intelligences'

Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309045290
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Author: Dorthe Berntsen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521866162
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
This study promotes a new interpretation of involuntary autobiographical memories, a phenomenon previously defined as a sign of distress or trauma.

Author: Daniel L. Schacter
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547347456
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book: A psychologist’s “gripping and thought-provoking” look at how and why our brains sometimes fail us (Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works). In this intriguing study, Harvard psychologist Daniel L. Schacter explores the memory miscues that occur in everyday life, placing them into seven categories: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. Illustrating 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 and offering “insight into common malfunctions of the mind” (USA Today). “Though memory failure can amount to little more than a mild annoyance, the consequences of misattribution in eyewitness testimony can be devastating, as can the consequences of suggestibility among pre-school children and among adults with ‘false memory syndrome’ . . . Drawing upon recent neuroimaging research that allows a glimpse of the brain as it learns and remembers, Schacter guides his readers on a fascinating journey of the human mind.” —Library Journal “Clear, entertaining and provocative . . . Encourages a new appreciation of the complexity and fragility of memory.” —The Seattle Times “Should be required reading for police, lawyers, psychologists, and anyone else who wants to understand how memory can go terribly wrong.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “A fascinating journey through paths of memory, its open avenues and blind alleys . . . Lucid, engaging, and enjoyable.” —Jerome Groopman, MD “Compelling in its science and its probing examination of everyday life, The Seven Sins of Memory is also a delightful book, lively and clear.” —Chicago Tribune Winner of the William James Book Award

Author: Kevin Horsley
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
ISBN: 9391019803
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 123

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Book Description
• Learn Faster • Remember More • Be More Productive YOU TOO CAN HAVE UNLIMITED MEMORY Do you need to remember large amounts of information? Do you find it hard to remember important things? Are you losing time by learning and relearning the same information over and over again? In the twenty-first century, learning faster and using your mind more effectively may be the only advantage that you will ever have over your competitors. This ultimate guide to memory improvement will show you how to train your memory, enhance your mental ability and keep your mind agile and alert. YOU’RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER: • The six most powerful memory systems that you can use to immediately improve your retention and recall • How to go from mastering only 7 bits of information in short-term memory to over 50 • How to easily remember what you have studied for tests and exams • How to improve your concentration and focus • How to remember names with ease in any social situation KEVIN HORSLEY is one of only a few people in the world to have received the title ‘International Grandmaster of Memory’. He is a World Memory Championship medalist and a World Record holder for ‘The Everest of Memory Tests’. Kevin is an international professional speaker and has spoken in many different countries. He assists organizations in improving their learning, motivation, creativity, and thinking.

Author: Jeffrey Schwartz MD
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1583334831
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
Two neuroscience experts explain how their 4-Step Method can help identify negative thoughts and change bad habits for good. A leading neuroplasticity researcher and the coauthor of the groundbreaking books Brain Lock and The Mind and the Brain, Jeffrey M. Schwartz has spent his career studying the human brain. He pioneered the first mindfulness-based treatment program for people suffering from OCD, teaching patients how to achieve long-term relief from their compulsions. Schwartz works with psychiatrist Rebecca Gladding to refine a program that successfully explains how the brain works and why we often feel besieged by overactive brain circuits (i.e. bad habits, social anxieties, etc.) the key to making life changes that you want—to make your brain work for you—is to consciously choose to “starve” these circuits of focused attention, thereby decreasing their influence and strength. You Are Not Your Brain carefully outlines their program, showing readers how to identify negative impulses, channel them through the power of focused attention, and ultimately lead more fulfilling and empowered lives.

Author: I. C. Robledo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781955888004
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Discover Your Truths & Fulfill Your Dreams If you have ever doubted yourself, your life's path, beliefs, or questioned what is True, prepare to illuminate the path to Your Personal Truth. This is the best path. It is the one you are called for and that you must go on, or you will be left feeling unfulfilled, as if you missed out on something essential from life. We all have our unique journey to live, and nothing is more worthy than pursuing this path for yourself. The point of this book is not to impose any particular beliefs, ideas, philosophies, or Truths on you. Instead, the focus is on helping you find your truth in a way that allows you to achieve your dreams and goals. Can you think of something that you know to be True without any doubt? When you know something to be True, it becomes a deep part of your life, and you know it to be true with your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experience, logic, and intuition, then you can get to a point where no one can take this Truth away from you. The only one who can release yourself from an old Truth that is no longer working and replace it with a new and more valid one is yourself. With Your Personal Truth, you can regain control of your life's direction and take the power you have always had but perhaps never realized, which is the power to determine what is true for you and what is not. Ultimately, Truth is a journey, not a destination. When you choose to walk this path, you will unlock deeper parts of yourself, discover your highest ideals and values, find purpose, and live by your truth with every thought and action. Internationally bestselling author I. C. Robledo discovered that his path was to seek Truth at 16 years of age. Since then, he has been searching for truth, and now he wishes to teach you how to discover Your Personal Truth. This endeavor has led to meaning, a transcendent level of awareness and understanding, self-knowledge, and the ability to focus on worthy paths and avoid false ones. Inside, you will learn to: Discover your truths, rather than waiting for someone to give them to you, which would be a mistake Identify critical values that are worth living by (with a list of 100 values to consider) Unlock the deepest parts of yourself by remembering, uncovering, recovering, discovering, and creating yourself Test your truths to see which ones are valid and which ones were just faulty assumptions Move toward the paths that lead to confidence, awareness, happiness, and growth, and move away from the paths that lead to negativity, pain, and feelings of being lost.

Author: Frances Trussell
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
ISBN: 1785358170
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
We all wish to be more mindful, engaged, present – loving the life we are living, but is this possible and how? You Are Not Your Thoughts: The Secret Magic of Mindfulness makes the journey into a mindful way of being a profoundly simple one, both to understand and to access. It is a book for those who want to truly know the power of mindfulness to transform their experience of life. '...There are thousands of books out there to help us combat our inner self-destructive voice... if I could go back in time and read only one book on the subject, this is it.' Joe Pasquale, Comedian and Actor

Author: Rex E. Jung
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108340458
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1199

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Book Description
Historically, the brain bases of creativity have been of great interest to scholars and the public alike. However, recent technological innovations in the neurosciences, coupled with theoretical and methodological advances in creativity assessment, have enabled humans to gain unprecedented insights into the contributions of the brain to creative thought. This unique volume brings together contributions by the very best scholars to offer a comprehensive overview of cutting edge research on this important and fascinating topic. The chapters discuss creativity's relationship with intelligence, motivation, psychopathology and pharmacology, as well as the contributions of general psychological processes to creativity, such as attention, memory, imagination, and language. This book also includes specific and novel approaches to understanding creativity involving musicians, polymaths, animal models, and psychedelic experiences. The chapters are meant to give the reader a solid grasp of the diversity of approaches currently at play in this active and rapidly growing field of inquiry.