Abstract The paper offers an overall analysis of Chiaverini's most recent book, "The Christmas Quilt." The book recounts the story of an older female quilter who is forced to reconcile with the memories of her past. The recurring motifs are the themes of family and quilting. The paper examines the written quality of the work, themes, and recommends it to new readers.
From the Paper "Jennifer Chiaverini's work, The Christmas Quilt, is part of a series of works themed upon quilting entitled the Elm Creek Quilts novels. This very recent work (Fall 2005) centers on the character of Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, an older female quilter who would like to spend a quiet, unnoticed Christmas holiday season, but whom is forayed instead into her personal 'ghost of Christmas past,' through her family heritage. Sylvia is a reoccurring character of Chiaverini, and she appears in multiple of her many works. Other major characters include her friend Sarah (fellow quilting partner), and her husband, who did not feel inclined to celebrate Christmas with their own family. The setting of the tale is Christmas at Sylvia's family home; although most of her family members are long gone from this world, they reappear through the sudden discovery of a surprising family heirloom--an unfinished quilt."
Abstract The paper evaluates the significance of Charles Dickens' own life circumstances relative to his famous novel, "A Christmas Carol." The paper points out the speculation that much of his own life is represented in the novel's story, which emphasizes the importance of the primary characters whom he provides with vivid descriptions in different ways.
From the Paper "Charles Dickens wrote his famous novel "A Christmas Carol" with a number of personal life experiences and issues in mind. His own life was filled with challenging ordeals and circumstances, which provided much fodder for his literary career. Specifically, "A Christmas Carol" serves as one of Dickens' most masterful achievements and his strong dedication to his craft is in part a testament to the experiences of his life. This novel continues to be loved and admired by many, particularly during the Christmas season, when there is particular attention paid to this story. The following discussion will demonstrate that Dickens' novel provides many similarities to his own life, addressing parallels between some of the challenges of his circumstances and their relationship to the story presented in the novel."
Abstract The repressed memory controversy has spawned numerous debates in a variety of fields, from clinical psychology to legal studies, from the utility of repressed memory testimony in the courtroom to the nature of memory storage and recall. This paper reviews the research literature around the concept of repressed memories and proposes that, despite its emerging salience as a factor, one area not elaborately researched is the role of gender in repressed memories. The paper proposes an experiment designed to test whether gender may affect the creation of false memories in undergraduates and postulates an outcome based on the hypothesis that the social acceptability of a suggested memory increases how readily participants assimilate new memories (and this can be correlated with gender socialization). The experiment's goal is to work toward understanding the role of gender in the occurrence of repressed memories.
From the Paper "Given the predominance of repressed memory in females, the problem begs the question: does gender affect cognition? The full answer to that question is complex beyond the scope of this paper, but the general summary is that the evidence is inconclusive. From the popular view, it is generally believed that females are better at certain tasks such as facial recognition, color recollection, emotional recognition, and verbal memory; while males are better at tasks such as visuospatial reasoning, chronology, and number memory. At the same time, despite these persistent stereotypes, the evidence to support them is not conclusive (c.f. Caplan, 1997; Halpern 1986). We can say that there is some evidence indicating females may be more suggestible than males (McFarlane, 2002), which might account in part for of the difference in repressed memory, given that a predominance of clients are in therapy (under the influence of a therapist) at the time of the recovery (Freyd, 1999)."
Abstract This paper looks closely at a chapter describing the inner workings of our human memory, and the three component system that we utilize to retail information. Using sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory we can learn to better encode information in order to be more successful students. The more meaning we can attach to our memories, the stronger memories they become.
From the Paper "Memories can seem to be fleeting moments, shocking us when we can not seem to recall the most standard pieces of information, or surprisingly dense, as when details one thought completely unimportant rise clearly into our thoughts. Understanding the processes behind memory can aid our quests to recall specific information similarly to how an information processing system such as a computer or database works. Through a clear understanding of the three component model of memory--sensory memory, working or short term memory and long term memory--one can apply this awareness towards creating specific rehearsal and encoding cues which will be more likely to remain stable in our long term memory. While the processes of memory have been speculated upon for centuries, a current model describes memory utilizing technological imagery. "
Abstract This well-researched paper reviews and analyzes the latest published research and relevant results pertaining to the nature and dynamics of human memory. The writer of this paper explores the significance of sleep on the formation of memory as well as the impact of menopause and its tendency to affect a woman's memory. This paper details the results of various studies which clearly explain the three distinct stages of memory while also delving into how and why memories either linger on or vanish. This paper presents the findings of studies done on babies and their capacity to remember which greatly increases between 8 and 12 months while long-term memory is not fully developed until after the first year of life. This paper also details the author's results to a particular experiment conducted on 11 students which focused on recognition and delayed recall as they pertained to names and numbers.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Discussion
Psychological Laboratory Report
Bibliography
From the Paper "Findings of a new research unravel the three distinct stages of a memory, how memories endure or vanish. These stages are the stabilizing, the enhancing and the modifying of a memory. In the first stage, the memory or experience is created in the brain, stabilized and then saved like computer files but, unlike computer files, the memory needs six waking hours to become stabilized. The second stage happens during a full night's sleep, on which the enhancement of memory is absolutely dependent, and underscores the significance of sleep to the learning process. And the third stage is the recall phase, wherein the memory that has been stabilized and enhanced can be modified. These findings were drawn from a new research conducted with 100 young subjects, aged 18 to 27 in several finger-tapping sequences at various intervals and points in the sleep-wake cycle. The research, conducted at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, focused on procedural skill memory, the type that enables the learning of coordination-based skills, like driving, sports, playing musical instruments and surgical procedure."
Abstract The paper examines research involving repressed and recovered memory. The writer begins by pointing out the issues and controversies that the psychiatric community is currently facing. The paper defines repressed memory and recovered memory as a "defense mechanism whereby our thoughts are pulled out of our conscious and into our unconscious".
Contents:
Introduction
Definition of Repressed Memory and Recovered Memory Issues and controversy
Research
Conclusion
From the Paper "Recovered Memories are memories that have been repressed and are recovered at some later date. Often times the event is not recovered until years after it has occurred. According to an article, published by Elsevier Science, recovered memory is not a new phenomenon. (Sivers et al 2002) In fact, it was first discovered during the early twentieth century. The article also explains that there are two schools of thought on the topic of recovered memory. The first school of thought asserts that memories of traumatic events can be repressed and recovered and that the recovered memories can be accurate and clear. The second school of thought asserts that adults with problems simply use the theory of repressed memory to make excuses for their dysfunctional lives."
Abstract Summary: The repressed/false memory debate is marked by sharp polarities of what Loftus terms firm believers and skeptics who "point to the reconstructive nature of memory and ask for evidence and corroboration". The debate is far from theoretical since individual's reputations and futures are at stake. While the claims and arguments on both sides of the controversy will be discussed, the purpose here is to explore the nature of memory, repression and dissociation to determine if therapists can distinguish between true and false memories of childhood trauma.
Abstract This paper focuses on the study of repressed memory, examining what triggers repressed memories, how recall is shaped and psychological concepts of Freud and how they related to the topic of repressed memories. Several research studies regarding repressed memory are also examined and discussed.
From the Paper "Memory is a cognitive function or process by means of which information and or experiences are catalogued, stored, associated and ultimately retrieved. A field that has gained significance in recent years is that of so-called repressed memories or memories generally of a past trauma of some sort that are recalled in the event of some specific trigger stimulus or cue. The notion that memories are often repressed to the point of no recall absent such triggers is traced to the work of Sigmund..."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that for therapists, true memories can provide clues as to why patients are suffering from a variety of psychological problems. The writer notes that helping clients gain a clearer understanding requires greater and more detailed insight into the patient's past. Further, the writer points out that most clinical psychologists believe that children can learn to block memories as a survival mechanism and repression, which may cease to be helpful in adult life. Away from the traumatic environment, adults may find their memories resurfacing, either gradually in fragments, or suddenly in vivid flashbacks. The writer maintains that the issue of repressed memory remains controversial, even with the American Psychological Association itself. The writer then concludes that the real truth may be that not all cases are false and not all cases are true, but when dealing with the complex and suggestible process of memory and recall, it can be difficult to discern truth from fiction.
From the Paper "The debate over so-called recovered memory syndrome leaves therapists in a bind. Even the name of the syndrome is controversial. Advocates who say the memories are real call the memories repressed, those who say the memories are false call the memories planted. In 1996, Susan Clancy, then a psychology fellow at Harvard, tried to find a way to see if some people were more prone to re-create memories than other people. She tested women who said they had repressed and then recovered memories of sexual abuse, and control groups who said they were either never sexually abused or had never forgotten their abuse. All were asked to study, memorize and then recite back a list of related words, like candy, sugar, cookie and brownie, that were related to the word sweet--but never the word sweet itself. Everybody had a tendency to falsely remember that the word sweet was one of the words that had been listed, but the women who claimed to have recovered memories of sexual abuse were significantly more likely than the control groups to be very, very confident that the critical word sweet was falsely on that list."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of memory and the different types of memory and then takes a look at the relationship between memory and academic achievement. The paper also describes tests used to measure memory and learning.
From the Paper "This literature review, concerning the topic of the relationship between memory and academic achievement, addresses the following areas relevant to this study: history and overview of memory, different types of memory, memory and academic achievement, tests to measure memory and learning and a conclusion. Baddeley reported that whether memory needs to be regarded as a single system or two or more subsystems was a major controversy during the..."
Abstract This paper explains how the human memory works and includes detailed information about the complexity and the exact organs of the brain and how these organs affect memory. Included are the differences between long term and short term memory and tips on how to remember information more efficiently.
From the Paper "Perhaps the most important thing scientists have found is that there is no single memory system in the brain. Instead, human memory is divided into at least two broad categories. These can be affected by disease, injury or aging. The first on is explicit memory. Explicit memory is the system that stores concrete knowledge like faces, names, and multiplication facts. This is the knowledge that a person can call up consciously. Implicit memory is the way the brain stores information that isn?t assimilated or called up consciously.(Colliers Encyclopedia CD-ROM) Examples of this are shooting a basketball or stopping a car."
Abstract Modernism is the search for a universality. The break from this search is creatively named postmodernism. Postmodernism is the belief that there is no universal constant and that everything is subject to context. The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is an example of postmodern architecture. The wall is significant because it is one of the first memorials in this country to break from the modern view of architecture. By using postmodern ideological criticism of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, this paper discovers that remembrance is a non-universal act, different for every person.
From the Paper "On April 19, 2000 the Oklahoma City Memorial opened to the public. The Memorial was built to remember the tragic events of five years earlier, the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. The memorial was designed by Hans and Torrey Butzer. The Butzers were the winners of a competition pool of over 630 entries. The design for the memorial is based heavily on the postmodern nature of the Butzers? architectural upbringing. The University of Texas at Austin's school of architecture is known for its postmodern views of form and function."
Tags: city, communication, criticism, memorial, oklahoma, postmodern, rhetoric, rhetorical
Abstract This paper discusses the effects of repressed memories of child sexual abuse. The paper first examines the link between trauma and repressed memories. The paper then comments on the false memory debate. The rest of the paper is dedicated to a discussion of the lifetime effects of childhood sexual abuse, such as experiencing dissociative disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Abstract In this paper, both Boethius and Augustine reflect an active memory that is acutely based on solitude for clarity of higher spiritual truths. By being untainted by outside abuses to the memory of Jesus or Socrates, silence and isolation gave these authors a pure vision of the past in their recollection of greater truths within the human condition. By actively presenting memories that are valid to understanding human nature, the present tense and the future are glorified through forgiveness and greater truths within a philosophical and religious perspective.
From the Paper "In this philosophical study the nature of memory will be examined within the 'Confessions' by Augustine and 'The Consolation of Philosophy' by Boethius. The influence of philosophy on the nature of memory affects both authors through the affect of solitude in these writings. Memory is integral to realizing the truth of human nature, and how mankind can find the greater good through interpreting the past. Boethius and Augustine both place a great deal of spiritual and philosophical value when determining the personal convictions they exhibit in their belief systems. For Augustine the nature of memory is essential in discovering his conviction in God, and how this affects his faith in mankind. In writing the 'Confessions' Augustine has become aware of the nature of his solitude in searching for forgiveness for his past sins."
Abstract This paper summarizes the article, "Mechanisms of Autobiographical Memory Retrieval in Younger and Older Adults", by K. Dijkstra and B. Kaup, explaining that it is about remembering autobiographical events. More specifically, the paper explains that the article's authors ask whether it helps retrieval of memories if attention is directed to a demarcated lifespan context; and secondly, whether memories are retrieved differently by younger and older adults.
