Memory Lane
The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember
Published on 4. March 2025
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-691-25709-9 (ISBN)
Description
An illuminating look at the adaptive nature of our memories-and how their flexibility and fallibility help us survive and thrive
We tend to think of our memories as impressions of the past that remain fully intact, preserved somewhere inside our brains. In fact, we construct and reconstruct our memories every time we attempt to recall them. Memory Lane introduces readers to the cutting-edge science of human memory, revealing how our recollections of the past are constantly adapting and changing, and why a faulty memory isn't always a bad thing.
Shedding light on what memory is and what it evolved to do, Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy discuss the many benefits of our flexible yet fallible memory system, including helping us to maintain a coherent identity, sustain social bonds, and vividly imagine possible futures. But these flexible and easily distorted memories can also result in significant harm, leading us to provide erroneous eyewitness testimony or fall victim to fake news. Greene and Murphy explain why our flawed memories are not a failure of evolution but rather a byproduct of the perfectly imperfect way our minds have evolved to solve problems. They also grapple with important ethical questions surrounding the study and manipulation of memory.
Blending engaging storytelling with the latest science, the authors demonstrate how our continuous reconstruction of the past makes us who we are, helps us to interpret our experiences, and explains why no two trips down memory lane are ever quite the same.
We tend to think of our memories as impressions of the past that remain fully intact, preserved somewhere inside our brains. In fact, we construct and reconstruct our memories every time we attempt to recall them. Memory Lane introduces readers to the cutting-edge science of human memory, revealing how our recollections of the past are constantly adapting and changing, and why a faulty memory isn't always a bad thing.
Shedding light on what memory is and what it evolved to do, Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy discuss the many benefits of our flexible yet fallible memory system, including helping us to maintain a coherent identity, sustain social bonds, and vividly imagine possible futures. But these flexible and easily distorted memories can also result in significant harm, leading us to provide erroneous eyewitness testimony or fall victim to fake news. Greene and Murphy explain why our flawed memories are not a failure of evolution but rather a byproduct of the perfectly imperfect way our minds have evolved to solve problems. They also grapple with important ethical questions surrounding the study and manipulation of memory.
Blending engaging storytelling with the latest science, the authors demonstrate how our continuous reconstruction of the past makes us who we are, helps us to interpret our experiences, and explains why no two trips down memory lane are ever quite the same.
Reviews / Votes
"A Nature Best Book of the Year" "[Greene and Murphy] skillfully unpack how the human mind achieves [the] miraculous balancing act of remembering and forgetting. . . . The authors remind us to accept our limitations and be humble about our capacities but celebrate all that our memory allows us to do. That is a message well worth remembering, long after the details of this absorbing book fade."---Julian Baggini, Wall Street Journal "Beautifully articulated. . . . [Memory Lane] covers a lot of ground, from how we form memories to how delicate those memories really are."---Laura Sanders, Science News "[Greene and Murphy] make a persuasive argument that forgetting has its benefits, even as the fascinating case studies show the many downsides of memory's fallibility. Pop science readers will want to check out this splendid study." * Publishers Weekly * "An informative and accessible primer on how memory affects behavior."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Ph.D., Psychology Today "Memory Lane is a book that forces us to question everything we think we know-not just about history or crime, but about ourselves. It is a masterful, unsettling, and utterly necessary exploration of one of the most fundamental aspects of human cognition. And if, by the end, you find yourself doubting the accuracy of your own memories-well, that is precisely the point." * Sri Lankan Guardian * "[A] universally appealing book."---Andrew Robinson, Nature "There is no shortage of books on memory, from self-help guides for the anxiously ageing to scholarly works of history. Memory Lane is distinctive for taking the standpoint of applied cognitive psychology. Emphasising how memory functions in everyday life, Greene and Murphy explore the processes of memory and the influences that shape them. . . . Memory Lane offers an informative and readable account of how the apparent weaknesses of human memory may be strengths in disguise."---Nick Haslam, The Conversation "A valuable and up-to-date overview of the strengths and weaknesses of human memory."---Christoper French, Fortean Times
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
18 b/w illus. 5 tables.
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-25709-9 (9780691257099)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
approx. 09/2026
Princeton University Press
€20.00
Not yet published
E-Book
02/2025
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€28.99
Available for download
Persons
Ciara Greene is a professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin, where she leads the Attention and Memory Laboratory. Gillian Murphy is a professor in the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork and leads the Everyday Cognition Lab.