ABSTRACT
Memory is something that everyone uses every day, and yet there are many misconceptions about what memory is, how memory works, and the overall accuracy of our memories as we move throughout the world. Research on memory shows that it is more complex, spans more areas, and involves more nuance than people often think. Importantly, our understanding of memory is shaped by the history of the methods, and therefore the people, of cognitive psychology. This chapter provides historical context for how cognitive scientists define and understand memory. The chapter covers the beginning of early experimental psychology in the nineteenth century, discussing the schools of structuralism, functionalism, gestalt, and behaviorism, and ends with the cognitive revolution, setting the stage for modern memory research of the twenty-first century.
