Originally published in 1982, this book brings together two areas of research previously studied in parallel, with little interaction (particularly in the US): normal memory processing and the amnesic syndrome. When trying to document the relationship between the two it became apparent that there was much crossover and duplication of effort in a number of areas: whether long-term memory and short-term memory truly represent independent storage systems, or are simply points on a continuum; trying to determine the primary locus of variables influencing the rate at which information is lost during retention; whether episodic memory and semantic memory represent two different storage systems, or are simply artifacts produced by different kinds of query to a single memory system and finally, whether visual and verbal memory are independent. It was written, following a meeting in 1979, by a small group of investigators, brought together to explore this commonality and to share data and theory, thus beginning the promise of a bright future of interdisciplinary interaction in memory research.

Originally published in 1986, this book was written for undergraduates who had completed an introductory course in psychology, and aimed to acquaint the student with the core of recent experimental findings and theoretical ideas concerning human memory. Each chapter deals with a specific area of memory research but care is taken to build on what has been covered in preceding chapters, so providing an integrated treatment of the subject. Thus, the book can comfortably be read from cover to cover, or selected issues can be referred to in isolation. Important features of the book include discussion of fundamental issues about the nature of the scientific process, the role of models and theories in it, and the historical development of models of human memory. Also, the treatment of ‘Forgetting’ includes chapters on motivational aspects (psychopathological forgetting, post-hypnotic amnesia, and directed forgetting), and organic amnesia.

Originally published in 1978, this volume contains the evidence that is most crucial for our understanding the processes of forgetting and retention. Organized in terms of problem areas and issues that are particularly pertinent to understanding these processes, the book deals with both animal and human studies. The author begins by defining the topic and reviewing its historical development. A theoretical orientation follows, and then the author begins to address the major factors that determine what is, and what is not, remembered. Although we cannot yet specify the principles from which we can predict when an episode, once learned, will be remembered well or forgotten entirely, the author demonstrates that such principles are not that far away. He considers the issues that must be resolved before such principles are established, and in the course of doing so covers the major research on why we remember events and why they are forgotten.

Originally published in 1977, the chapters in this volume offer a concise review of the research and new direction in the study of alcohol and cognition at the time. Each chapter has been prepared by an eminent researcher who was currently involved in investigating human cognitive behaviour. The chapters contain not just a dry summary of work done in the field, but descriptions of the impetus for the work that was done, problems in doing such work, knowledge that was gained, and suggestions for future research. Many new approaches are presented for the study of alcohol and memory, and for the understanding of results of studies already done. This was a forward-looking volume not only about directions for future research, but with solid contributions that review and integrate major areas of inquiry on the influence of alcohol on memory and behaviour at the time.

Originally published in 1979, the chapters in this volume summarize the available knowledge pertaining to a variety of functional – as opposed to explicitly organic – amnesias and disruptions of memory. Each chapter is written by an expert, and each author has attempted to integrate his area of inquiry into the contemporary body of theory and research on memory and cognition. Functional memory disorders may prove to be a significant testing ground for current theorizing, and the study of these phenomena may provide insights into memory and cognition that might be obscured in the usual sorts of laboratory investigations. The intent of the volume is to contribute to the development of a more comprehensive account of the processes involved in remembering and forgetting. The reader will find bold new treatments of repression and childhood amnesia, systematic explorations of certain experimental amnesias, and challenging analyses of the anomalies of everyday memory, in this ground-breaking work of the time.

In the past 20 years, the progressive uncovering of child sexual abuse in institutional settings has reverberated across the globe with simultaneous investigations across Europe and the English-speaking world. However, most books on child sexual abuse are narrowly focused and do not situate this most distressing of human behaviours within a social or historical context. Children, Sexuality, and Child Sexual Abuse examines child sexual abuse from a broader perspective in order to understand how and why child sexual abuse is perpetrated, by whom, under what circumstances, and with what societal consequences for victims and perpetrators. This book will be an essential reference for all those working in the field of child sexual abuse. Beginning with histories of childhood and sex, and their intersections, the book goes on to analyze sexual development, sexuality, and sexualized behaviour in children and adolescents. This is followed by an examination of the extent of child sexual abuse in the English-speaking world, including its prevalence in the Indigenous communities of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and in once-trusted societal institutions including the Church, orphanages, and schools. The book focuses on issues of concern to all those who encounter the problem of child sexual abuse and addresses questions such as: How and when do children disclose child sexual abuse? What are the characteristics of memory that affect reporting? How are disclosure claims assessed? What are the effects of having experienced child sexual abuse? Finally, there is an examination of young people who offend sexually.

Originally published in 1993, this book provides the clinician, researcher and student with a comprehensive account of the neuropsychology of the amnesic syndrome. The opening chapter places the amnesic syndrome within the overall context of memory disorders and provides a theoretical basis for understanding the presentation of the clinical and experimental findings which form the major part of the work. The second chapter provides an extensive account of the various methods used to assess memory and associated deficits and provides guidelines as to the most effective assessment strategy. The next five chapters are concerned with the specific aetiologies giving rise to the amnesic syndrome: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome; Thalamic Amnesia; Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia; Herpes Simplex Encephalitis; and ruptured aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery. Each of these chapters contains an account of the associated neuropathology, descriptions of experimental findings and illustrative case histories from the authors’ own experimental and clinical experience. The next chapter provides the reader with an account of some of the more important scientific issues that have arisen from the studies of the amnesic syndrome and a final chapter considers current and future prospects for behavioural remediation of severe memory deficit.