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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    communicate the memories that have been so recalled. This mutual action is exhibited in the phenomena of dream. In that condition, the bi’ain does not receive its impressions from without and works without the direction of the Con- scious Self. Its action being so self-induced, the recollec- tions so arising are confused, conflicting and wild, differing entirely from the memories that come to it directly from the Conscious Self. The like condition occurs in some diseased states of the brain, as in delirium and insanity. From these it may be reasonably inferred that the process of Recollection is not, like that of Memory, always a purely Psychic act, but that sometimes, in abnormal states. Recollection is conducted through the mechanism of the body, without the action of the Conscious Self. But the Conscious Self works by means of a material mechanism, and therefore can express itself only according to the conditions of that mechanism. The brain is the machine through which it works for all those actions we call the “ intelligence,” and the extent and character of the action must therefore be determined by the character of the brain. As the Conscious Self can receive only what the brain im- parts, and the brain can receive only impressions for which its structure is adapted, so Recollection, which is a restoration of those impressions, can be made only through the brain and therefore must be dependent upon the capacity of the recipient brain at the time of recollection. Hence it is that although Memory receives and retains every brain impression, and possibly some received through other media than the brain, the capacity to recal those impressions varies greatly. Some pei’sons recal rapidly and vividly; others slowly and imperfectly. We say of the first that they have good, and of the others that they have bad, memories. But these are improper uses of the term. It is not the Memory that is good or bad but the [138]