Furman University

Memory Fitness

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Do all adults experience memory difficulties as they age? What is the difference between normal memory change and the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease? Is it possible to stern- or even reverse - memory decline? This up-to-date book is a comprehensive guide for everyone who wishes to learn the scientific facts about how aging affects memory and what can or cannot be done about it.

Gilles Einstein and Mark McDaniel, widely respected for their research and popular lectures on how memory processes change with age. They then approach the topic of memory improvement, drawing on the latest rigorous scientific evidence and sprinkling their advice with anecdotes and graphics to illustrate major concepts.

Organized for accessibility, focused on practical and concrete techniques, and filled with reliable information (including suggested Web sites for more information on topics of particular interest), this book is today's best guide to memory and to verified ways of dealing with its decline.

  A clear and scientific evaluation of age-related memory changes and what can be done to minimize them.
-- Timothy Salthouse, director, Cognitive Aging lab, University of Virginia

For anyone 40-50 (or older) who is worried about memory functioning, this book is the best one I know -- buy it and read it. It contains much practical advice that everyone should know about improving memory as we age.
-- Henry L. Roediger, III, chair, Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, and president of the American Psychological Society

Memory Fitness is a clear and accessible translation of current neuroscience with respect for the nuances of experimental findings. It will be useful to students, to professionals in geriatrics and elder care, and to general readers concerned about their own memory and how to maintain it.
-- Allen Bragdon, author of Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones

Memory Fitness is that rarest of books: a highly accessible, highly enjoyable product of serious and comprehensive scholarship. Einstein and McDaniel have compiled a terrific cornucopia of exciting discoveries about human memory, its natural frailties, and its preservation in the face of aging and Alzheimer's disease.
-- Jeff Victoroff, M.D., author of Saving Your Brain: The Revolutionary Plan to boost Brain Power, Improve Memory, and Protect Yourself against Aging and Alzheimer's

Gilles O. Einstein is professor and chair, Department of Psychology, Furman University. Mark A. McDaniel is professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. The authors have published and taught extensively in the field of memory, and their research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging for over fifteen years.

Table of Contents

1. Thanks for the Memories, Aging and Remembering
2. Overview of Memory Systems and Processes, The Effects of Aging
3. Forgetting and Distorting Are Normal -- At All Ages!
4. Working Memory and Avoiding Distractions, The Right Time for the Right Task
5. Most Memories Are There, The Trick is Finding Them
6. How to Learn and Remember Complex Material, Articles, Lectures, and Textbooks
7. Remembering Tough Things
8. Remembering to Remember, Medications, Appointment, Things to Pack . . .
9. Mental Exercise and Memory, Use It or Lose It
10. Physical Exercise and Memory, Not Exercising is Risky Behavior
11. Effects of Sterss, Depression, Illness, and Medication on Memory
12. Enhancing Memory with Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins
13. Alzheimer's Disease, The Signals and What You Can Do About It

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Table of Contents

An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field

Authored by:

Mark A. McDaniel	Washington University, St Louis, MO
Gilles O. Einstein	Furman University, Greenville, SC

Description:

While there are many books on retrospective memory, or remembering past events, Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field is the first authored text to provide a straightforward and integrated foundation to the scientific study of memory for actions to be performed in the future. Authors Mark A. McDaniel and Gilles O. Einstein present an accessible overview and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical work in this emerging field.

Key Features:

• Focuses on students rather than researchers : While there are many edited works on prospective memory, this is the first authored text written in an accessible style geared toward students.
• Provides a general approach for the controlled, laboratory study of prospective memory: The authors place issues and research on prospective memory within the context of general contemporary themes in psychology, such as the issue of the degree to which human behavior is mediated by controlled versus automatic processes.
• Investigates the cognitive processes that underlie prospective remembering : Examples are provided of event-based, time-based, and activity-based prospective memory tasks while subjects are engaged in ongoing activities to parallel day-to-day life.
• Suggests fruitful directions for further advancement : In addition to integrating what is now a fairly loosely connected theoretical and empirical field, this book goes beyond current work to encourage new theoretical insights.

Intended Audience:

This relatively brief book is an excellent supplemental text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Memory, Human Memory, and Learning & Memory in the departments of psychology and cognitive science.

"This is a very well-written piece--consistently bold and engaging. A novice to the area will be able to pick it up and quickly absorb two decades of research. Masterfully done, really. I give two thumbs up to this outstandingly lucid analysis of the field of prospective memory."

"I very much enjoyed reading Prospective Memory. I found it stiumating and provocative. This well-organized overview greatly facilitates the task of keeping up with the literature in a rapidly developing field."

Table of Contents

1. Prospective Memory: A New Research Enterprise
2. Monitoring in Prospective Memory
3. Spontaneous Retrieval in Prospective Remembering
4. Multiprocess Theory of Prospective Memory
5. Storage and Retention of Intended Actions
6. Planning and Encoding of Intentions
7. Prospective Memory and Life Span Development
8. Cognitive Neuroscience of Prospective Memory
9. Prospective Memory as It Applies to Work and Naturalistic Settings
10. Final Thoughts

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