Multiple memory systems and consciousness.

TLDR

The special issue reviews recent neuropsychological advances in human memory, emphasizing the classification problem of multiple memory systems and evidence from dissociations between memory tasks, such as the short‑term versus long‑term distinction. The paper reviews current conceptualizations of multiple long‑term memory systems, distinguishing episodic, semantic, and procedural memory. It briefly describes and compares these systems and discusses current views on their interrelations.

Abstract

This Introduction to the Special Issue on Human Memory discusses some of the recent and current developments in the study of human memory from the neuropsychological perspective. A problem of considerable current interest, that of multiple memory systems, is a problem in classification. Much of the evidence for it is derived from clinical and experimental observations of dissociations between performances in memory tasks. The distinction between short-term and long-term memory is considered as an example of classification by dissociation. Current conceptualizations of multiple long-term memory systems are reviewed from the vantage point that distinguishes among three major kinds of memory--episodic, semantic, and procedural. These systems are briefly described and compared, and current views concerning the relation between them are discussed. The role of consciousness in memory is raised against the backdrop of the suggestion that it may be necessary to differentiate among several kinds of consciousness.