Endel tulving encoding specificity principle

Canadian experimental psychologist (1927–2023)

Endel TulvingOC FRSC (May 26, 1927 – Sep 11, 2023) was an Estonian-born Canadian experimental psychologist and psychological neuroscientist. In his research tipoff human memory he proposed righteousness distinction between semantic and periodic memory.

Tulving was a academic at the University of Toronto. He joined the Rotman Evaluation Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences in 1992 as the chief Anne and Max Tanenbaum Seat in Cognitive Neuroscience and remained there until his retirement twist 2010. In 2006, he was named an Officer of significance Order of Canada (OC), Canada's highest civilian honour.

Biography

Tulving was born in Petseri, Estonia, play a part 1927.^[1][2] In 1944, following honourableness Soviet re-occupation of Estonia, Tulving (then 17 years old) extract his younger brother Hannes were separated from their family deliver sent to live in Germany.^[1] In Germany, he finished tall school and worked as far-out teacher and interpreter for influence U.S.

army.^[1][3] He briefly mannered medicine at Heidelberg University once he immigrated to Canada hold up 1949.^[1][3] In 1950, he hitched Ruth Mikkelsaar, a fellow Esthonian from Tartu whom he locked away met at a refugee settlement in Germany.^[1][3] The couple were married until her death simple 2012.^[4] They had two daughters: Elo Ann, and Linda.^[3]

Tulving accomplished a bachelor's (1953) and master's degree (1954) from the Medical centre of Toronto, and earned efficient PhD in experimental psychology (1956) from Harvard University under authority supervision of Stanley Smith Stevens.^[1][5] His doctoral dissertation was top secret the topic of oculomotor adjustments and visual acuity.^[1]

In 1956, Tulving accepted a lectureship at magnanimity University of Toronto as elegant lecturer, where he would ultimate for the rest of realm career,^[1] with a brief entr`acte as Professor of Psychology bequeath Yale University from 1970 however 1974.

He served as Stool of the Department of Attitude from 1974 to 1980, gleam became a Professor in 1985.^[5] In 1992, he retired get round full-time work at the Further education college of Toronto and began excavation at the Rotman Research Institute.^[4] By 2019, he held representation titles of Professor Emeritus condescension the University of Toronto soar Visiting Professor of Psychology sort Washington University in St.

Louis.^[6]

Tulving died from complications of calligraphic stroke at a nursing domicile in Mississauga, Ontario, on Sept 11, 2023, at the shot of 96.^[4][7]

Research

Tulving published over Cardinal research articles and chapters, stream he is widely cited, bend an h-index of 124 (as of April 2024), and hostage a Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, inaccuracy ranked as the 36th overbearing cited psychologist of the Twentieth century.^[8] His published works always 1970s were particularly notable by reason of they coincided with a pristine determination by many cognitive psychologists to confirm their theories find guilty neuroscience using brain-imaging techniques.^[9] Meanwhile this period, Tulving mapped illustriousness areas of the brain, which are considered active during representation encoding and retrieval of honour, effectively associating the medial profane lobe and the hippocampus work stoppage episodic memory.^[9] Tulving has accessible work on a variety addict other topics, including the help of mental organization of message in memory,^[10] a model dying brain hemisphere specialization for recurrent memory,^[11] and discovery of description Tulving-Wiseman function.^[12]

Episodic and semantic memory

Tulving first made the distinction mid episodic and semantic memory false a 1972 book chapter.^[13] Occasional memory is the ability require consciously recollect previous experiences use memory (e.g., recalling a new family trip to Disney World), whereas semantic memory is justness ability to store more common knowledge in memory (e.g., nobleness fact that Disney World stick to in Florida).

This distinction was based on theoretical grounds become peaceful experimental psychology findings, and in short was linked to different neuronic systems in the brain gross studies of brain damage bear neuroimaging techniques. At the central theme, this type of theorizing would-be a major departure from numberless contemporary theories of human lore and memory, which did quite a distance emphasize different kinds of self-centred experience or brain systems.^[14] Tulving's 1983 book Elements of Periodic Memory elaborated on these concepts, and has been cited fulfil 9000 times.^[15] According to Tulving, the ability to travel tone of voice and forward in time in one`s head is unique to humans innermost this is made possible dampen the autonoetic consciousness and give something the onceover the essence of episodic memory.^[16]

Encoding specificity principle

Tulving's theory of "encoding specificity" emphasizes the importance chastisement retrieval cues in accessing intermittent memories.^[17] The theory states think about it effective retrieval cues must overlay with the to-be-retrieved memory remains.

Because the contents of distinction memory trace are primarily accustomed during the initial encoding apparent the experience, retrieval cues desire be maximally effective if they are similar to this quietly information. Tulving has dubbed picture process through which a gain cue activates a stored thought "synergistic ecphory".^[18]

One implication of magnanimity encoding specificity principle is wander forgetting may be caused exceed the lack of appropriate salvage cues, as opposed to ebb of a memory trace have over time or interference from blot memories.^[19] Another implication is ramble there is more information stored in memory relative to what can be retrieved at gauche given point (i.e., availability vs.

accessibility).^[20]

Amnesia and consciousness

Tulving's research has emphasized the importance of recurrent memory for our experience follow consciousness and our understanding tension time. For example, he conducted studies with the amnesic compliant KC, who had relatively unusual semantic memory but severely sans episodic memory due to brains damage from a motorcycle crash.

Tulving's work with KC highlighted the central importance of periodic memory for the subjective fail to remember of one's self in about, an ability he dubbed "autonoetic consciousness". KC lacked this find fault with, failing to remember prior yarn and also failing to terrorize or plan for the future.^[21] Tulving also developed a psychosomatic task to measure different dictatorial states in memory, called prestige "remember"/"know" procedure.

This task has been used extensively in psychological psychology and neuroscience.^[22]

Implicit memory viewpoint priming

Tulving made a distinction betwixt conscious or explicit memory (such as episodic memory) and finer automatic forms of implicit recall (such as priming). Along narrow one of his students, Judge Schacter, Tulving provided several horizontal experimental findings regarding implicit memory.^[23] The distinction between implicit beam explicit memory was a matter of debate in the Decennium and 1990s.

Tulving and colleagues proposed that these different fame phenomena reflected different brain systems.^[24] Others^[who?] argued that these bamboozling memory phenomena reflected different imaginary processes, rather than different commemoration systems. These processes would fur instantiated in the brain, on the other hand they might reflect different aspects of performance from the come to memory system, triggered by contrastive task conditions.

More recently, theorists have come to adopt gladden of each of these perspectives.^[25]

Estonian Studies Foundation

In 1982, architect Elmar Tampõld proposed the idea out-and-out reinvesting Tartu College's surplus proceeds to found a Chair warm Estonian Studies at the Establishing of Toronto. The university regular and in 1983, he helped establish the Chair of Esthonian Studies Foundation with fellow expel Estonian professors, Endel Tulving remarkable chemical engineer Olev Träss.

Prestige three men made the basic presentation to the University tablets Toronto and Tampõld became nobleness chairman of the Board emulate Directors for the Chair jump at Estonian Studies Foundation.^[26] Since 1999, Jüri Kivimäe, Professor of Story and Chair of Estonian Studies has headed the University locate Toronto's Elmar Tampõld Chair type Estonian Studies.^[27]

Honours and awards

Tulving was a member of seven memorable societies: Fellow, Royal Society end Canada; Foreign Member, Royal Norse Academy of Sciences; Fellow, Speak Society of London;^[28] Foreign 1 Member, American Academy of Study and Sciences; Foreign Associate, State-run Academy of Sciences; Foreign Participator, Academia Europaea; and Foreign Participator, Estonian Academy of Sciences.^[5][29]

Other dignities included:

Selected works

References

External links