The psychology of memory and recollection : read to the Psychological Society of Great Britain, June 1st, 1876 / by Mr. Serjeant Cox.

  • Edward William Cox
Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The psychology of memory and recollection : read to the Psychological Society of Great Britain, June 1st, 1876 / by Mr. Serjeant Cox. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    to the Conscious Self. Moreover, the brain is also subject to self-induced impressions; and these also it conveys to the Conscious Self. But the whole brain is not employed in receiving and conveying every impression, whether coming from without, or induced within. Each mental faculty, having a corres- ponding agent in the mechanism of the brain, is the exclu- sive agent for the conveyance to the memory of its own im- pressions. Hence it is we find that the capacities of Memory so much vary, not only in various persons, but in the same Individual. If memory were one act of the whole mind there might be difference in the degree of memory among different persons, but there would be no, or only very slight, difference in the degrees of memory in the same mind. But in fact we find the most extraordinary diver- sity in this respect in the same individual. The same person often possesses an extraordinary memory for facts and none for words; another can remember words accu- rately, but not music, and so forth. So it is with Recollection, which is quite a distinct pro- cess from memory. It is accomplished through the same mechanism. The same brain organ that conveyed the impression can alone receive it again from the Conscious Self and cause it to be expressed when recalled. That being the mechanism, let us endeavour, by some familiar instance, to trace its action. Something was said yesterday which I desire to recollect to day. I direct my attention to it and it comes back to me. By what contrivance ? Let us closely and carefully follow it. Certain waves of the atmosphere, which we translate into words and which suggest thoughts, came to my sense of hearing and were conveyed to the central brain by a nerve which extends from the point that receives the impression [141]