Memories Of Past Events Research Articles

A third kind of episodic memory: Context familiarity is distinct from item familiarity and recollection.

Memory for past events is widely believed to operate through two different processes: one called 'recollection' when retrieving confident, specific details of a memory, and another called 'familiarity' when only having an unsure but conscious awareness that an item was experienced before. When people successfully retrieve details such as the source or context of a prior event, it has been assumed to reflect recollection. We demonstrate that familiarity of context is functionally distinct from familiarity of items and recollection and offer a new, tri-component model of memory. The three memory responses were differentiated across multiple behavioral and brain wave measures. What has traditionally been thought to be two kinds of memory processes are actually three, becoming evident when using sensitive enough multi-measures. Results are independently replicated across studies from different labs. These data reveal that context familiarity is a third process of human episodic memory.

The Homeland Kaleidoscope: Perceptions of Threats and Coping Among Israeli Civilians in a Diversity of Conflict Zones

Abstract This paper explores perceptions of threat and the subjective ability to cope with belligerency in conflict zones using the diversity of Israel’s security arenas. Three research populations were defined, all adult residents in Jewish or mixed localities with a high probability of involvement in a security conflict or in which confrontations occurred between 2002 and 2014: residents of the northern border area (n = 385), residents of the Gaza area (n = 262), and residents of Judea and Samaria (n = 496). Stratified sampling was conducted in each population to generate representative samples. The fourth research population served as the control group for this study: a representative random sample of all Israeli residents aged 18 and over living in Jewish localities (n = 493). The main insight that arises from this study is that residents’ attitudes and understanding of the security situation, their perceptions of threat, and their ability to cope with threat are not exclusively shaped by concrete security incidents. Instead, their attitudes and perceptions are the product of multiple formative factors acting concurrently. In each region and population group, it is possible to identify a “cumulative context” that crystallizes from four key factors that shape residents’ perceptions: (a) the socio-economic background of the population and the community, (b) factors related to community organization, (c) geographic proximity to the source of threat, and (d) experience and memories of past events.

STAVROPOL MEMORIAL BY VUTKE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HISTORICAL MEMORY CONCEPT

The 20th century showed the inconsistency of ideas about the predictability of historical processes, as a result of which the idea of the essence of humanitarian knowledge was subjected to rethinking. Consequently, some researchers come to the idea that the aim of historical science is to preserve historical memory. However, it is not the memory of past events; we are talking about a new type of memory. In this interpretation, memory has its own value as an object, and not just as a way of storing a large amount of knowledge about the past. The new methodology, which developed during the 20th century, allows us to look at many monuments of monumental art from a different point of view, as well as explain the fate of the Stavropol memorial, erected by O. Vutke in 1922–1923 and demolished in 1936.

Active experience, not time, determines within-day representational drift in dorsal CA1

Memories of past events can be recalled long after the event, indicating stability. But new experiences are also integrated into existing memories, indicating plasticity. In the hippocampus, spatial representations are known to remain stable but have also been shown to drift over long periods of time. We hypothesized that experience, more than the passage of time, is the driving force behind representational drift. We compared the within-day stability of place cells' representations in dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus of mice traversing two similar, familiar tracks for different durations. We found that the more time the animals spent actively traversing the environment, the greater the representational drift, regardless of the total elapsed time between visits. Our results suggest that spatial representation is a dynamic process, related to the ongoing experiences within a specific context, and is related to memory update rather than to passive forgetting.

Filling global gaps in monitoring data with local knowledge

Filling global gaps in monitoring data with local knowledge

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong (review)

Reviewed by: Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong Natalie Berglind Armstrong, Kelley Someone Is Always Watching. Tundra, 2023 [368p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780735270923 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780735270930 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 When her friend Gabi has a breakdown in class, straitlaced Blythe is understandably concerned—and then obviously panicked when Gabi murders their school's vice principal and then attacks Blythe. However, when Blythe wakes up, neither she nor Gabi have any recollection of what happened; like the rest of their classmates, they're told the vice principal committed suicide. Blythe knows something is off: she's having visions of blood and gore, Gabi is still acting erratically, and she and her friends' memories of past events aren't adding up. Prompted by an email from an unknown source, Blythe teams up with Tucker, the crush she cut off per parental demand after he meted revenge upon a boy who tried to harm her, to get to the bottom of what's going on and what the company their parents work for might have to do with it. An initially compelling mystery deteriorates into a convoluted [End Page 249] jumble in the last third of the novel, riddled with contrivances and cliches, and the bad guy is painfully obvious. Additionally, cases of murder and child sexual abuse are sprinkled in as backstory without addressing the weight of those issues. Even so, Blythe has a strong narrative voice, and her chemistry with Tucker feels impressively realistic as readers root for the two to overcome their problems and get together. The question behind the plot is an intriguing one, as it considers how both individuals and society deal with children who commit violent crimes at an age too young to understand what they're doing. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

«Мы не уйдем из памяти народной, / О нас потомки будут вспоминать…»: тема памяти в лирике приднестровского поэта-фронтовика Игоря Ильина

The paper deals with the theme of historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, which is one of the leading themes in the creative work of the Pridnestrovian war veteran poet I. R. Ilyin. His poetic works about memory as the main content resource of his creative work are being analysed. The aim of the study is to determine the artistic interpretation of the theme of historical memory in the creative work of the Great Patriotic War veteran, the author of several collections of poems I. R. Ilyin. The scientific novelty of the study lies in looking at the previously unexplored theme of memory in the literary texts of the war veteran poet of Transnistria I. R. Ilyin, which occupies one of the central places in his creative work. This theme is raised through mens perspective, since mostly men fought. But the feat of a woman is also presented, her feminine view of the war as a mother, wife, girlfriend and just a soldier. The undoubted duty, from the standpoint of I. R. Ilyin, is the love for the Motherland, its protection, as well as the memory of past events. As a result of the study, it has been proved that historical memory plays an essential role in the construction of works about the Great Patriotic War by the war veteran poet I. R. Ilyin.

Effects of proactive interference on olfactory memory in dogs.

Proactive interference (PI) occurs when memories of past events or stimuli intrude in the present moment, causing working memory (WM) errors. These errors are often measured through WM tests such as matching-to-sample (MTS). When the repetition of individual stimuli increases, there is a greater chance of these intrusions, and thus there can be a decrease in accuracy in such tasks. In two experiments, we explored the nature of PI on dog working memory. First, we manipulated the size of the set of odors (2, 6, trial-unique) used to construct each session to maximize (2-odor set) and minimize (trial-unique) within-session proactive interference during an olfactory MTS task. Matching-to-sample accuracy decreased with greater PI. Second, we adapted procedures originally designed for pigeons and rhesus macaques to determine the locus of PI in dogs. To test for proactive interference, probe trials were inserted into MTS sessions where sample odors from earlier trials reappeared as incorrect comparisons. Incorrect responses on these probe trials indicated proactive interference. These probe tests were conducted with a 0-s or 20-s retention interval in separate sessions. We found that dogs performed worse on the matching task when the source of interference (odor stimulus) was from the immediately preceding trial compared with when they were from trials further back in the session but only for the 0-s retention interval. These results are compared with previous work examining the effects of proactive interference on working memory in other species.

“I can’t remember!” Three-year-olds struggle to strategically access encoded and consolidated memories

We examined three-year-olds’ (N = 50) strategic recall of past events from their daily life that they recently had recalled spontaneously. Hence, in contrast to most research on memories of past events in young children, we had evidence that the events had been encoded and consolidated. Moreover, we examined whether the age of the to-be-remembered events as well as language skills would affect the strategic recall. The results showed that even though the children’s answers were coded exceedingly ‘liberal’, the children were unable to provide strategic recall in 51% of the cases. Language skills affected their performance, whereas the age of the to-be-remembered events and time since last remembrance did not. These results highlight the cognitive constraints related to the deliberate search process required when responding to direct questions concerning past events and add to the understanding of retrieval mechanisms in young children, by underscoring the advantage of spontaneous recall.

Collective Remembrance and Private Choice: German–Greek Conflict and Behavior in Times of Crisis

When does collective memory influence behavior? We highlight two conditions under which the memory of past events comes to matter for the present: the associative nature of memory and institutionalized acts of commemoration by the state. During World War II, German troops occupying Greece perpetrated numerous massacres. Memories of those events resurfaced during the 2009 Greek debt crisis, leading to a drop in German car sales in Greece, especially in areas affected by German reprisals. Differential economic performance did not drive this divergence. Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that current events reactivated past memories, creating a backlash against Germany. This backlash also manifested in political behavior, with vote shares of anti-German parties increasing in reprisal areas after the start of the debt crisis. Using quasi-random variation in public recognition of victim status, we show that institutionalized collective memory amplifies the effects of political conflict on economic and political behavior.

The neural bases for timing of durations

Durations are defined by a beginning and an end, and a major distinction is drawn between durations that start in the present and end in the future ('prospective timing') and durations that start in the past and end either in the past or the present ('retrospective timing'). Different psychological processes are thought to be engaged in each of these cases. The former is thought to engage a clock-like mechanism that accurately tracks the continuing passage of time, whereas the latter is thought to engage a reconstructive process that utilizes both temporal and non-temporal information from the memory of past events. We propose that, from a biological perspective, these two forms of duration estimation are supported by computational processes that are both reliant on population state dynamics but are nevertheless distinct. Prospective timing is effectively carried out in a single step where the ongoing dynamics of population activity directly serve as the computation of duration, whereas retrospective timing is carried out in two steps: the initial generation of population state dynamics through the process of event segmentation and the subsequent computation of duration utilizing the memory of those dynamics.

Making Artificial Brains: Components, Topology, and Optimization.

Making Artificial Brains: Components, Topology, and Optimization.

The ‘Real’ Pakistan in Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Geometry of God (2007): A Testimony of Blasphemy

Since their widespread implementation and amendment in the 1980s by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, blasphemy laws have been used in Pakistan to supress freedom of speech and to create an environment of terror, fear, and subjugation. Islamist political parties on the right side of the spectrum in alliance with the military establishment ensure that resistance against these laws both judicially and socio-politically becomes almost unfeasible. Those who do have a chance to be released from the charges are faced with death threats and often become prey to homicide or mob lynching. In such a scenario, literature can and must offer an alternative imaginative space where constructive dialogue is made possible and where some form of healing is offered to the victims. It, therefore, becomes incumbent to understand the way in which Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Geometry of God (2017) offers an alternative to the state led official narrative regarding issues of blasphemy, freedom of expression and creative thought in relation to Pakistani identity. The Geometry of God deals with Pakistani history in the 1980s and ’90s under Zia-ul-Haq’s influence and legacy from three different narrator-perspectives and the (mis)use of blasphemy laws in Pakistan with respect to Zahoor, a palaeontologist. The book challenges the mainstream narrative about blasphemy as well as Pakistani history as it unfolds, and presents, instead, an alternative ‘real’ image of modern Pakistan which is more complex, polyphonic, and diverse. In this respect, this article demonstrates how Khan creates a larger alternative literary testimony within the novel through three narrator-characters as well as by employing various stylistic features. Indeed, the novel both mirrors and challenges the ‘official’ court testimony where Zahoor is silenced by false accusations against him in the name of blasphemy. Through a detailed analysis of the three narrators, this article shows how memories of past events are represented, including the way in which the literary form of the novel foregrounds the act of testimony.

City of Rebels: Considering Migrant History-Telling in an Ethnographic Inquiry of a Neighborhood’s Past

This article deals with the question of how perceptions of history adhere to space and focuses on one of many neighborhoods in Istanbul being haunted by the legacy of informal land tenure. The hills of the megacity have borne witness to industrialization, mass migration, and socialist anarchy, all of which have contributed to land squatting and the iconic gecekondu (squat) architecture. However, what had served as a signifier of the tradition of local organization among domestic migrants from the 1950s is now being destroyed by so-called urban renewal projects leading to either displacement or a vicious circle of poverty. As a result, the current housing problem in Istanbul illuminates the residents’ coping strategies that are paradoxically intertwined with memories of past events in the area. To grasp the temporal experience of the neighborhood in question, I argue for the importance of narrativity, and the practice of history-telling in particular, in undertaking an ethnography of history.

Le rôle des états somatiques dans l’inscription de l’expérience : une rencontre entre psychanalyse et neurosciences

ObjectivesBeyond their radically heterogeneous epistemologies, the aim of this article is to describe a meeting point for an interdisciplinary dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience, starting from the importance they both give to the role of perception of somatic states in the inscription of experience. Kandel's research on the molecular mechanisms of memory and brain plasticity has demonstrated that experience leaves synaptic traces in the nervous system. At the same time, we have to consider that interoceptive perception, and mainly somatic states, play a key role for the inscription of perceptions coming from the environment. This article thus examines the possibility of a meeting between Freudian theory and recent discoveries by neurobiologists, especially Damasio's theories of “somatic markers.” MethodMy methodology consists in a comparative study of the importance of the role of somatic states for memory and learning, as considered in neuroscientific research, and the influence of the pleasure principle during the inscription of the first memory traces, in Freudian theory. First, I review the significance of interoceptive perceptions in the research protocols for molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Next, I study the role of the pleasure principle in the inscription of memory traces, according to the Freudian theory of the psychic apparatus. I then emphasize Damasio's theory of “somatic markers” as a crucial meeting point between neuroscience and Freudian psychoanalysis. Finally, I propose a dialogue between neuroscience and psychoanalysis about the significance of simultaneity, a time factor, in the link between representations and somatic states during the inscription of experience. ResultsThe role of the body states, in Freudian theory, appears to be fundamental for psychic regulation, especially in the qualitative senses of pleasure and displeasure; considering that the pleasure principle is the main principle for the psychic apparatus. Taking the somatic states into account in the inscription of experience is at the heart of the Freudian theory of the psychic trace. Recent neurobiological research on molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to the inscription of experience also demonstrate the significance of somatic states in the learning and memorizing processes. Specifically, according to Damasio's theory of “somatic markers”, the processes of thinking and decision-making are based on the memory of past events and have appeared to be at the service of homeostasis and of the survival of the organism throughout evolution. Understanding our cognitive activity would require taking the brain processes involved in the representation of our body states into account. DiscussionThe latest neurobiological research on the role of the interoceptive perception in cognitive activity, especially Damasio's theory of “somatic markers”, has stunning resonances with some Freudian formulations. Furthermore, simultaneity, a time factor, appears to be decisive in memory processes. The simultaneous perception of a body state and of its representation conditions the possibility of an inscription of traces from experience: we can either consider these to be synaptic traces, from a neuroscientific point of view, or as memory traces, in the Freudian framework. Psychoanalysis and neuroscience both emphasize the role of simultaneity for the inscription of experience. Thus, we can underscore the significance of contingency in “subjective becoming” and in the unique characteristic of the inscription of memory traces. ConclusionPsychoanalysis and neuroscience, beyond their heterogeneous epistemologies, can find a meeting point around the importance they both give to the role of the perception of body states in the mechanisms of inscription of experience, through a link called R-S, between an exteroceptive perception and a somatic state. Indeed, the perception of a somatic state S, occurring simultaneously with an exteroceptive perception, conditions the possibility of the inscription of traces, synaptic as well as psychic. Psychoanalysis and neuroscience agree upon the significance of somatic states in the inscription of traces. They both emphasize the influence of simultaneity in the association of perceptive traces. The R-S link is, from both outlooks, a peculiar association, specific to one's experience. Therefore, universal and genetically determined mechanisms such as synaptic plasticity lead to the advent of subjectivity, in the story of each individual.

The Key Role of “Somatic States” in the Inscription of Experience: For a Dialogue Between Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience

ObjectivesBeyond their radically heterogeneous epistemologies, the aim of this article is to describe a meeting point for an interdisciplinary dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience, starting from the importance they both give to the role of perception of somatic states in the inscription of experience. Kandel's research on the molecular mechanisms of memory and brain plasticity has demonstrated that experience leaves synaptic traces in the nervous system. At the same time, we have to consider that interoceptive perception, and mainly somatic states, play a key role for the inscription of perceptions coming from the environment. This article thus examines the possibility of a meeting between Freudian theory and recent discoveries by neurobiologists, especially Damasio's theories of “somatic markers.” MethodMy methodology consists in a comparative study of the importance of the role of somatic states for memory and learning, as considered in neuroscientific research, and the influence of the pleasure principle during the inscription of the first memory traces, in Freudian theory. First, I review the significance of interoceptive perceptions in the research protocols for molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Next, I study the role of the pleasure principle in the inscription of memory traces, according to the Freudian theory of the psychic apparatus. I then emphasize Damasio's theory of “somatic markers” as a crucial meeting point between neuroscience and Freudian psychoanalysis. Finally, I propose a dialogue between neuroscience and psychoanalysis about the significance of simultaneity, a time factor, in the link between representations and somatic states during the inscription of experience. ResultsThe role of the body states, in Freudian theory, appears to be fundamental for psychic regulation, especially in the qualitative senses of pleasure and displeasure; considering that the pleasure principle is the main principle for the psychic apparatus. Taking the somatic states into account in the inscription of experience is at the heart of the Freudian theory of the psychic trace. Recent neurobiological research on molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to the inscription of experience also demonstrate the significance of somatic states in learning and memorizing processes. Specifically, according to Damasio's theory of “somatic markers,” the processes of thinking and decision-making are based on the memory of past events and have appeared to be at the service of homeostasis and of the survival of the organism throughout evolution. Understanding our cognitive activity would require taking the brain processes involved in the representation of our body states into account. DiscussionThe latest neurobiological research on the role of the interoceptive perception in cognitive activity, especially Damasio's theory of “somatic markers,” has stunning resonances with some Freudian formulations. Furthermore, simultaneity, a time factor, appears to be decisive in memory processes. The simultaneous perception of a body state and of its representation conditions the possibility of an inscription of traces from experience: we can either consider these to be synaptic traces, from a neuroscientific point of view, or as memory traces, in the Freudian framework. Psychoanalysis and neuroscience both emphasize the role of simultaneity for the inscription of experience. Thus, we can underscore the significance of contingency in “subjective becoming” and in the unique characteristic of the inscription of memory traces. ConclusionPsychoanalysis and neuroscience, beyond their heterogeneous epistemologies, can find a meeting point around the importance they both give to the role of the perception of body states in the mechanisms of inscription of experience, through a link called R-S, between an exteroceptive perception and a somatic state. Indeed, the perception of a somatic state S, occurring simultaneously with an exteroceptive perception, conditions the possibility of the inscription of traces, synaptic as well as psychic. Psychoanalysis and neuroscience agree upon the significance of somatic states in the inscription of traces. They both emphasize the influence of simultaneity in the association of perceptive traces. The R-S link is, from both outlooks, a peculiar association, specific to one's experience. Therefore, universal and genetically determined mechanisms such as synaptic plasticity lead to the advent of subjectivity, in the story of each individual.

Empathy for the ‘Other’: Neglected Finnish Ethnographic War Photography from Occupied Soviet Territory

This article examines a series of unsettling images from the Finnish Continuation War (1941–1944) and the memories of the war that these photographs construct for contemporary Finns. We argue that these images can be viewed through Alison Landsberg's (2004) notion of ‘prosthetic memory’, which underlines how visual media enable the acquisition of vivid memories of past events. The paper outlines how these long-ignored photographs narrate unexamined dimensions of World War II in ways that transform how Finns in particular remember the war. The images illustrate a neglected Finnish occupation of Soviet territories and the treatment of Russian civilians under Finnish rule. We argue that the images can provoke empathy for their experiences and therefor challenge traditional and nationalist Finnish war interpretations.

Using RFID to identify smart products on a blockchain enabled production network

Industry 4.0 requires the cooperation of several technologies. The intersections of these technologies present us with new challenges. One of these challenges is identification, since we have to identify all the items that are on the network that do work and those that are worked upon. If we fail to identify one of these items the network is presented with an unidentified potentially malicious device or a misidentified product which can cause production to halt. Blockchains or otherwise known as Distributed Ledger Technology, DLT for short is a technology that builds upon the current bookkeeping paradigm and expands it in a decentralized direction. This however can be used in more than just banking since it is essentially a distributed database that has memory of past events not just the current state. By using a blockchain based distributed database to hold processing details and using RFID-s as keys to certain entries in the database it is possible to build a tamper proof production system that can handle the challenges of industry 4.0. It may also be possible to use blockchain technology as a form of digital paper trail that can be used to validate messages sent to the nodes of the system.

Events of the Past in the Historical Memory of the Youth in the Ethnic Regions of the Volga Federal District

Introduction. Memories of past events often become objects of political manipulation, when the interpretation of events that are significant for Russian history turns out to be dependent on the political preferences and attitudes of public actors. Manipulations are aimed primarily at schoolchildren and university students, them being the most active part of society with significant protest potential. The article, based on the study conducted, systematizes the representations of past events in the collective memory of young people in the multiethnic regions of the Volga Federal District (Russia) to evaluate the influence of alternative ethnic and regional narratives on the state and potential development of the ethno-confessional situation in the regions under examination. Materials and Methods. The study was based on the materials of a mass sociological survey conducted among students (n = 1,246, October 2020), in the Republic of Mordovia, Chuvash Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. First- and second-year students of the largest universities of the republics were interviewed. To identify regional differences, respondents who came from other countries and regions were excluded from the data obtained. Results. The results of the mass survey conducted among young people in the Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan and the Chuvash Republic have revealed the fragmented perception of Russian history. In the historical memory of the youth living in the ethnic regions of the Volga Federal District, significant events of the Soviet past have dominated, although in some cases they have been perceived and reconsidered through the prism of ethno-confessional practices. At the same time, alternative ethnic and regional narratives that could negatively affect the socio-political situation in the republics have practically not been captured in the historical consciousness of the youth. Discussion and Conclusion. At the present stage, the regional symbolic memory policies of all three republics do not fundamentally contradict the memory policies of the federal center. The results of the study will be useful to social scientists, as well as public figures engaged in youth policy.

Automatic Detection of Microsleep Episodes With Deep Learning.

Brief fragments of sleep shorter than 15 s are defined as microsleep episodes (MSEs), often subjectively perceived as sleepiness. Their main characteristic is a slowing in frequency in the electroencephalogram (EEG), similar to stage N1 sleep according to standard criteria. The maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) is often used in a clinical setting to assess vigilance. Scoring of the MWT in most sleep-wake centers is limited to classical definition of sleep (30 s epochs), and MSEs are mostly not considered in the absence of established scoring criteria defining MSEs but also because of the laborious work. We aimed for automatic detection of MSEs with machine learning, i.e., with deep learning based on raw EEG and EOG data as input. We analyzed MWT data of 76 patients. Experts visually scored wakefulness, and according to recently developed scoring criteria MSEs, microsleep episode candidates (MSEc), and episodes of drowsiness (ED). We implemented segmentation algorithms based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and a combination of a CNN with a long-short term memory (LSTM) network. A LSTM network is a type of a recurrent neural network which has a memory for past events and takes them into account. Data of 53 patients were used for training of the classifiers, 12 for validation and 11 for testing. Our algorithms showed a good performance close to human experts. The detection was very good for wakefulness and MSEs and poor for MSEc and ED, similar to the low inter-expert reliability for these borderline segments. We performed a visualization of the internal representation of the data by the artificial neuronal network performing best using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). Visualization revealed that MSEs and wakefulness were mostly separable, though not entirely, and MSEc and ED largely intersected with the two main classes. We provide a proof of principle that it is feasible to reliably detect MSEs with deep neuronal networks based on raw EEG and EOG data with a performance close to that of human experts. The code of the algorithms (https://github.com/alexander-malafeev/microsleep-detection) and data (https://zenodo.org/record/3251716) are available.