ABSTRACT
Research in memory and cognition is commonly disseminated in portmanteau articles and other publications, each of which attempts both to characterise a problem and to present its solution. The most obvious and probably also the most common way in which solutions to problems in memory and cognition come to be generated is by direct extension of an existing theoretical approach. Probably the most frequent input into problems within memory and cognition still derives from analysis of variance. For qualitative problems and solutions there is no simple guide to the appropriate position to adopt on the trade-off function between parsimony, and accuracy or sufficiency. The effect is analogous to the erection of tariff barriers against free trade. The market for the original theory’s solution is protected against competition from other solutions by the imposition of additional charges on the latter. To assist theoretical progress, a problem needs to be relatively difficult.
