ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates the complexities of memory as related to learning that can be used to help people understand what will be remembered and why; some of these complexities are explored. It discusses the ways that memory has been theorised to cover the basic elements of psychological memory in addition to ways that research has shown memory processes to operate on an individual or personal basis. The chapter covers some tenets of collective memory, which usually has a sociological foundation but also has some basis in psychological research. It then examine research in museums, with some additions from non-museum settings that might be relevant, to discuss how theory about memory can be applied in the museum context. Place-based education (PBE) advocates motivating pupils to engage with the local environment while participating in learning that is experiential in nature. The chapter draws attention to studies that are relevant to learning in museums as related to memory.