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The Recovery of Unconscious Memories

Hypermnesia and Reminiscence

Memory has recently become the focus of media attention because of the emotionally charged uses made of delayed recall of repressed memories. Integrating literatures from all corners of psychology, The Recovery of Unconscious Memories includes historical accounts, analysis of experiments, and treatment topics, providing the first comprehensive scientific account of memory and how can it can increase over time. Erdelyi includes his own important contributions to this field, ranging from his early attempts to use free-association to produce hypermnesia to his most recent research with hypnosis, subliminal stimuli, forced-recall techniques, and very long-delayed recall probes.

Sketching out the scientific foundations for a unified theory of repression that integrates the findings of the laboratory and the clinic, this comprehensive and authoritative synthesis of a century of memory research will be crucial reading for psychologists and clinicians, as well as forensic and legal professionals interested in the recovery of "inaccessible" memories.

"By debunking hypnosis, [Erdelyi] has allowed the debate on memory to move forward. . . . Erdelyi’s work on hypermnesia is very important to our understanding of the mechanisms of memory and the brain."—Janet D. Feigenbaum, Times Literary Supplement

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
1: The Historical Background of Hypermnesia and Reminiscence in Experimental Psychology
2: Hypermnesia and Reminiscence in the Clinic
3: Shipwreck of Hypermnesia and Reminiscence in the Laboratory: The Mid-Century Period
4: The Recovery of Information from Complex Subliminal Stimuli
5: Rehabilitation of Hypermnesia and Reminiscence in Modern Experimental Psychology
6: Theoretical Issues in the Modern Experimental Literature on Hypermnesia and Reminiscence
7: Special Topics in Hypermnesia
8: Long-Term and Very Long-Term Hypermnesia for Complex Narrative Materials
9: Overview and Implications
App: The Technique, Rationale, and Empirical Grounding of Criterion-Controlled Free Recall (CCFR) of Narrative Materials
References
Name Index
Subject Index

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