by Daniel L. Schacter
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Product Description
A groundbreaking work by one of the world's foremost memory experts, THE SEVEN SINS OF MEMORY offers the first framework that explains common memory vices -- and their surprising virtues. In this intriguing study, Daniel L. Schacter explores the memory miscues that occur in everyday life: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. Schacter illustrates 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. Together, the stories and the scientific results provide a new look at our brains and at what we more generally think of as our minds.
Winner of the William James Book Award
Amazon.com Review
Illustrating decades of research with compelling and often bizarre examples of glitches and miscues, Daniel L. Schacter's The Seven Sins of Memory dusts off an old topic and finds material of both practical and theoretical interest. Chairman of Harvard's Department of Psychology, Schacter knows his stuff and how to present it memorably. Organizing the book by examining each of seven "sins," such as absent-mindedness and suggestibility, Schacter slowly builds his case that these sometimes enraging bugs are actually side effects of system features we wouldn't want to do without. For example, when we focus our attention on one aspect of our surroundings, we inevitably draw attention away from others: Consider this scenario: if you were watching a circle of people passing a basketball and someone dressed in a gorilla costume walked through the circle, beat his chest, and exited, of course you would notice him immediately--wouldn't you? [Researchers] filmed such a scene and showed it to people who were asked to track the movement of the ball by counting the number of passes made by one of the teams. Approximately half of the participants failed to notice the gorilla. Scientists concerned about interesting a general audience would do well to use more gorilla suits. Schacter elegantly weaves this curiosity into his text along with clinical stories and frontline research. Recent advances in brain imaging have boosted his field considerably, and the formerly remote psychological territory has yielded plenty of exciting discoveries. Though some of the practical material seems like reheated common sense (Haunted by a traumatic memory? Talk about it.), it's backed up by solid scientific work. Write a note, tie string around the finger, or hire an assistant for reminders, but by all means remember to pick up a copy of The Seven Sins of Memory. --Rob Lightner
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Average Customer Review:
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A few tips for memory - improvement, 2008-09-07
Daniel L. Schacter discusses in this book seven ways we error in regard to remembering. 1) Memory is transient- time goes by and we forget. 2)We do not pay attention and so we do not form in our minds something to remember. So that when we search for it it is not there. This failure in attention is what is involved when we forget where we put the keys and the glasses. i.e. We did not really forget- we in fact never paid attention to what we were doing. A third kind of error of omission is blocking, when we have something on the tip of our tongue, often a name, and just cannot bring it up. Other errors are errors of commission. Bias, when we distort some past experience by looking at it through present interests and concerns. Also misattribution when we give the wrong source to a certain memory. We too fail in Memory by being unable to forget, finding ourselves persistently recalling a traumatic reality which we would be better off leaving aside. ( And now as I write this I have forgotten the 'seventh ' type of memory error).
In any case what is useful in this I think is Schacter's suggestion that we learn to be more relaxed about memory- lapses which are usually 'normal'. He points out that where we to be like Borges Funes and remember everything we would not be able to function at all. 'Forgetting'is a normal part of remembering.
Schacter also suggests that one way of improving our memory is by giving meaning- tags to names or other realities we wish to recall.
This work is not a profound exploration of the most complex kinds of memory but it is a potentially useful and instructive guide to common lapses and their correction.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 scientific but easy to digest, 2008-05-12
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in memory problems. The author describes memory glitches that happen to many of us, and provides the scientific background for what's going on. But it's always fun to read and never heavy-handed.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Not all sins are bad!, 2008-05-11
As a frequent presenter on the subject of memory, there is much to appreciate in this book. I have pulled it off my bookshelf several times since 2001, and it is highlighted and sprinkled with notes to remind me about the author's most intriguing points. Nevertheless, there were several excellent magazine summaries of the book published in 2001 that might well satisfy the reader who wants to know the 7 sins but is not interested in his elaboration. On the other hand, the book has much to offer, including why "...the seven sins are an integral part of the mind's heritage...connected to features of memory which make it work so well." I love the subject of memory - and am always on the lookout for books as interesting as this one. www.thinkwriter.blogspot.com
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 Could be more compact, 2008-02-22
This was a well written book by a knowledgeable researcher. Nevertheless, I believe the book would have been more interesting if it were not as lengthy. Some critics have pointed out the book was overly technical, however, it was written by a leading researcher in this field of neuroscience. I found the sin of persistence most interesting and informative. On the other hand I am still confused as to why two people suffering the same kind of trauma, for example, react differently to memories. Why is one plagued by memories while her counterpart does not appear to be affected?
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
explanation of memory, 2007-06-18
The author describes how memory works and why we fail to recall things at times. A great chapter is the one that details how incidents that never happened are explained years afterwards by people who thought that they had happened after the incidents were spoken about enough times. A very detailed book that is easy to read.
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