Beyond Recall

Here in the shadows of Harvard it is appropriate to turn once again to William James and to reconsider his strong signals as to how to go about a more fruitful line of psychological inquiry than that of classical learning and memory experiments — or by analogy today's somewhat sterile emphasis on tested recall. James’ signal was to study experience, mental experience if you will, thinking, consciousness, the moment-to-moment reality of living. It was not common or popular for a turn of the century psychologist to make such suggestions, and it is still an unmet challenge in this country.