ABSTRACT
This chapter considers several theoretical approaches to memory, each of which partitions memory along different dimensions. One approach postulates different types of memory, such as short-term and long-term memories. Another approach divides memory into a series of stages. The field of neuropsychology, with its emphasis on brain and behavior, seeks to distinguish those areas of the brain associated with the different components of memories. Case studies of individuals with brain injuries provide important means of testing the theories and for generating new conceptions of memory. In addition, connectionist models merge the physiological psychology of the neuron with cognitive theories of memory. Electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) is sometimes used as a treatment for severe depression. Procedural learning is the acquisition of knowledge of how to do things and includes perceptual skills, motor skills, and cognitive skills. Connectionism can be illustrated by modeling person knowledge: the connections between names and individual identities.
