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
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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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    of the Man, although differing much m structure, and altogether in substance, not only preserves perfectly the impressions made upon the brain of the child, but reproduces them more rapidly and more vividly than the impressions of its own maturity, or even than the impressions made upon itself yesterday. These considerations appear to be conclusive objections to the materialistic theory of Memoiy, and no other has been so much as suggested, save this for which I am now contending, that Memory is a faculty of the non-molecular Conscious Self. Nay, more. Does it not supply one of the most cogent proofs of the existence of that Conscious Self as some entity distinct from the brain, of whose action it takes cognisance ? Psychology may boldly challenge the Materialists to explain the pheno- mena of Memory by any theory consistent with the action of brain alone or of any molecular structure. It is necessary here to guard against an error so frequent that few persons succeed in freeing themselves from it entirely. Memory and Recollection are not only taken as synonymous terms, but the two processes are almost universally assumed to be the same. This confusion of thought and language has produced serious results in practice. They are in fact two wholly different processes. Memory is the faculty by which the impressions made upon the brain are retained either by the brain itself or by something receiving the impressions made upon the brain. Recollection is the process by which these impres- sions are recalled. Memory, as suggested above, is probably a Psychic process. Recollection is usually, per- haps not always, a brain process. In theT normal state of the relationship between the Self and the body, the Self can restore the memories it has through the mechanism of the body alone. The brain must probably prompt the process of recollection, and certainly must receive and [187]