A historical overview of memory research

This article presents a historical overview of the two traditions in memory research. The first, originating with Ebbinghaus, tends to emphasize the need to limit and control the richness and complexity of memory in everyday life, by studying the learning and forgetting of artificial materials (e.g., nonsence syllables) under rigidly controlled conditions. The second, represented by the approach adopted by Bartlett, prefers to accept the richness and complexity of studying memory in more naturalistic situations rather than risking the exclusion of the subject's active effort after meaning, which it regards as playing a central role in the processes of learning and remembering. This article also draws together the various aspects of theories outlined, attempts to synthesize into a metaphorical model for describing the theoretical development of memory research, and poses some questions for future research