Problems of the Psychology of Memory

Problems of the Psychology of Memory

MONOGRAPHS IN PSYCHOLOGY an International Series Editorial Board Jerome S. Bruner, Center for Cognitive Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts Paul Fraisse, Institute of Psychology, University of Paris A. R. Luria, University of Moscow, Moscow, USSR Karl Pribram, Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California Arthur Summerfield, Department of Psychology, Birkbeck College, London Oliver L. Zangwill, Psychological Laboratory, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England EXPERIMENTAL ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY B. V. Zeigarnik 1972 FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM V. D. Nebylitsyn 1972 INNER SPEECH AND THOUGHT A. N. Sokolov' 1972 PROBLEMS OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEMORY A. A. Smirnov 1973 A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.

Problems of the Psychology of Memory A. A. Smirnov Director, Institute of Psychology Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Moscow Professor of Psychology Moscow State University and Moscow City Pedagogical Institute Scientific and Translation Editor Samuel A. Corson Professor of Psychiatry and Biophysics Director, Laboratory of Cerebrovisceral Physiology The Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus, Ohio Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 1973

Translation Panel: lustina Epp and Roland G. Dartau Editorial Assistant: ludy W. Van de Geer The translation and editing of this book was supported in part by Research Grant LMOO635 from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Heahh. The 8ritish_American Standard Transliteration System has becn followed lbe original Russian teltt publisbed by Prosvesbchenie Press in Moscow in 1966. This translation is publisbed under an agreemeni with Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, the Soviet book eltport agency. PROBLEMY PSIKHOLOGII PAMYATI A. A. Smirnov np05nembi ncl<1xonon1h namrth A. A. CfllKPK08 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 72-83045 ISBN 978-1-4684-1970-2 ISBN 978-1-4684-1968-9 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4684-1968-9 1973 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1973 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 1973 AII righls reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form withoul written permission from the publisber

EDITOR'S PREFACE Contrary to popular opinion, contemporary psychology in the USSR is far from being monolithic. It is true that the development of Soviet psychology does have characteristic features which distinguish it from the development of Western (and particularly Anglo-American) psychology. Perhaps the most distinguishing features of Soviet psychology are represented by the predominance of the historical-evolutionary approach and the emphasis on integrative physiological mechanisms underlying behavior. The development of Soviet psychological thinking can also be characterized as having been free of the fruitless discussions of mind-body dualism and of dominance by rat-and-pigeon-centered behaviorism. Soviet psychology had the benefit of a rich inheritance from the Sechenov-Botkin-Pavlov school that laid the foundation for modern psychobiology and biological psychiatry. Unfortunately, the politically engendered omnipresent dogmatism during the Lysenko-Stalin era of obscurantism tended to pervert this rich scientific heritage and hindered the development of a diversity of concepts and methods in the behavioral and biological sciences. The past two decades have witnessed the development and flourishing of a number of distinct and fruitful approaches in Soviet psychology. In addition to the traditional Pavlovian school of higher nervous activity, one should mention the school developed by D. N. Uznadze in Georgia (theory of set), the system of abnormal neuropsychology or "defectology" developed by A. R. Luriya, the cybernetic and systems approach in psychobiology developed by P. K. Anokhin (the theory of the functional system), the ecophysiological ethology studies by A. D. Slonim, differential psychology developed by B. M. Teplov and V. D. Nebylitsyn, and studies of educational and developmental psychology and memory initiated by P. P. Blonskii and L. S. Vygotskii and developed particularly by A. N. Leont'ev and A. A. Smirnov. v

vi Editor's Preface This monograph by Professor Smirnov presents a critical review of the extensive investigations on memory and learning in children, adolescents, and adults conducted by the author and his many students and by other Soviet psychologists. Of particular interest to Western psychologists and educators should be investigations on retroactive inhibition and on comparative studies on involuntary and voluntary memory involving mnemonic devices. Professor Smirnov is director of the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences in Moscow and editor of the prestigious Soviet periodical Problems of Psychology. He was the president of the organizing committee of the Psychological Society of the USSR. I wish to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Professor Ian Gregory, Dean John A. Prior, and Vice President for Medical Affairs Richard L. Meiling for their continuing interest in, and the provision of facilities for, our survey and translation project on "Psychophysiology and Psychosomatic Medicine in the USSR." To my wife and collaborator Elizabeth O'Leary Corson I am greatly indebted for lending her linguistic talents in the translation and editing of the manuscript. I am grateful to David Smith for his meticulous typing and proofreading of the manuscript. Samuel A. Corson Department of Psychiatry The Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus, Ohio

AUTHOR'S PREFACE The book includes publications by the author on problems of the psychology of memory The monograph The Psychology of Memorization, originally published in 1948, constitutes the main part of the book. For the present edition, the Introduction of the monograph has been rewritten. Additions have been made to several chapters, primarily to reflect the present status of the subjects discussed. No changes have been made in the experimental part of the monograph. We have also included in the book the experimental investigation "Conditions for retroactive inhibition," originally published in Scientific Reports of the State Research Institute of Psychology, Vol. 1 (1940). The third section, "The interrelation of image and word in the development of memory," is an excerpt from the article "The development of memory" published in 1959 in the two-volume anthology Psychology in the USSR. It is a review of investigations of this problem by Soviet psychologists, including experimental investigations carried out under the direction of the author. The section "On some correlations in the field of memory," published here for the first time, summarizes the results of a study recently conducted (1962-1966) by members of the laboratory headed by the author. I am deeply grateful to K. P. Mal'tseva for her extensive help in preparing this book for publication. I am also very grateful to N. I. Balasheva for her active part in the work on the book. A. A. Smirnov vii

CONTENTS A. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEMORIZATION Introduction 1. Initial propositions... 1 2. Memory theory in non-soviet psychology... 3 3. Memory in Russian prerevolutionary psychology (I. M. Sechenov and K. D. U shinskii)... 11 4. Concepts of memory in Soviet psychology (P. P. Blonskii and L. S. Vygotskii)... 15 Part I: Voluntary and Involuntary Memorization Chapter 1. Voluntary Memurization 1. General characteristics of voluntary and involuntary memorization... 25 2. Types of mnemonic orientation (towards accuracy, completeness, sequence, or stability of memorization) and their effect on memorization... 29 3. Sources of mnemonic orientation... 45 4. Motives for memorization and their influence on its productivity... 50 Chapter 2. Involuntary Memorization 1. The dependence of involuntary memorization on the orientation of activity... 55 2. The dependence of involuntary memorization on the content and nature of the activity... 70 Chapter 3. The Correlation of Voluntary and Involuntary Memorization 1. The dependence of the correlation of voluntary and involuntary memorization on the nature of the activity... 81 ix

x Contents 2. Age differences in the correlation of voluntary and involuntary memorization... 93 3. On the correlation of voluntary and involuntary memorization in everyday practice... 99 Part II. Comprehension in Memorization Chapter 4. The Role of Understanding in Memorization 1. Introduction... 105 2. Comprehension in the mnemonic activity of children... 109 3. Reconstruction in reproduction as the result of cognitive processing of the perceived material... 121 4. Cases of illusory memorization when it is completely replaced by comprehension... 127 Chapter 5. The Effect of Memorizing on Comprehension 1. The positive effect of mnemonic orientation on comprehension. The basic reflective processes in mnemonic activity... 131 2. The negative effect of mnemonic orientation on comprehension... 148 Chapter 6. Reflective Activity in Memorizing I. Grouping according to meaning... 159 2. Meaningful points of support and their separation... 172 3. Conditions for meaningful grouping and for the separation of meaningful points of support... 187 4. Meaningful grouping and meaningful support points in children.. 194 5. Processes of association... 216 6. Association in children... 227 Part III. Repetition in Memorizing Chapter 7. Significance and Functions of Repetition 1. The problem of repetition in non-soviet psychological writings... 237 2. The role of repetition in the light of the concept of mnemonic processes as active thinking activity... 242 Chapter 8. The Process of Repetition 1. Diversity of repetition in the mnemonic activity of adults... 245 2. The nature of repetition in memorization in children... 256 Conclusion... 261 Bibliography... 271 B. CONDITIONS FOR RETROACTIVE INHIBITION 1. The concept and the significance of retroactive inhibition... 279

Contents xi 2. Theories of retroactive inhibition... 280 3. The dependence of retroactive inhibition on the content of the preceding and the subsequent activity... 284 4. Purpose and method of investigation... 290 5. Results of the investigation... 292 Bibliography... 298 C. THE INTERRELATION OF IMAGE AND WORD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEMORY 1. Blonskii's concept of the interrelation of image memory and verbal memory... 299 2. Experimental investigations of Soviet psychologists on the interrelation of image and word in the development of memory.. 302 Bibliography... 315 D. ON SOME CORRELATIONS IN THE FIELD OF MEMORY 1. The problem... 319 2. Scope and results of experimental investigations... 321 Bibliography... 329 Summaries... 331 Index...... 337