Ways of Remembering

Larry Jacoby is one of the world’s foremost researchers on memory — specifically on the difference between conscious and automatic memory. The distinction is useful for better understanding age-related differences in memory performance.  His studies reveal, for example, that our ability to recall specific events declines as we age, spurring us to rely on unconscious, automatic memories.  These unconscious influences can be misleading, often tricking people into remembering events that never really occurred.   In addition to further refining theory about memory, one of Jacoby’s fundamental research goals is to develop procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of memory deficits.