cas: initiative 2004-2005 The Memory Project: An Interdisciplinary Study of Memory and the Construction of Identity and Culture The aim of this semester-long Center for Advanced Study Initiative is to promote and sustain a meaningful, multifaceted discussion about memory in all its forms, ranging from its molecular mechanisms to its impact on culture and society. Particular emphasis will be placed on issues concerning the fidelity of memory. During the past year, faculty members from engineering, the humanities and the biological and social sciences have been meeting as a reading group hosted by the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities. This CAS initiative will expand the scope of the project, incorporating a faculty/graduate student seminar and a series of distinguished speakers. An edited volume will feature highlights of this initiative. Professor Lillian Hoddeson has been appointed CAS Resident Associate for Fall 2004. She will coordinate the faculty/graduate student seminar and oversee the book project, with help from the steering committee: Tom Anastasio: molecular and integrative physiology Bill Brewer: psychology Neal Cohen: psychology Pradeep Dhillon: educational policy studies Peter Fritzsche: history Bill Greenough: cas, psychology, neuroscience Masumi Iriye: cas Steve Levinson: electrical and computer engineering

What's the Matter with Memory? September 8, 2004 Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum 600 South Gregory, Urbana University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Elizabeth Loftus Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine New studies show the power of imagination and suggestion to make people believe that they have had experiences that they didn't have. People have been led to remember non-existent events from the recent past as well as non-existent events from their childhood. They can be led to falsely believe that they have had familiar experiences, but also rather bizarre or implausible ones (e.g., that they witnessed demonic possession as a child). They can be led to believe that they did things that would have been impossible (e.g., that they shook hands with Bugs Bunny during a trip to Disneyland). They can also be led to falsely believe that they had experiences that would have been highly traumatic had they actually happened. Moreover, false beliefs and memories can have long-range consequences; they can affect later thoughts and behaviors. These findings reveal much about the flimsy curtain that separates true memory from false. Elizabeth Loftus refers to these papers in her presentation. Elizabeth Loftus was on WILL-AM radio's call-in program, FOCUS-580. Listen to the archived interview here. Learning, Memory and Cognitive Development: They're All in Your Connections November 8, 2004 Monday, 4:00 p.m. Third Floor, Levis Faculty 919 West Illinois Street, Urbana University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Jay McClelland Walter Van Dyke Bingham Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University Jay McClelland's research examines the nature of human cognition within the Parallel Distributed Processing framework: cognitive functions are viewed as emerging from the distributed and interactive activity of neurons in many regions of the brain; learning, memory, and cognitive development are all thought to arise from changes in the strengths and patterns of connections among the participating neurons. This approach has led to new ways of thinking about what it means to know, to learn and to remember, and captures the gradual changes in cognitive abilities that occur in the course of development. His talk will focus on a complementary learning systems theory that has arisen within this framework. The theory posits that the brain contains two learning systems, one for the rapid initial formation of new associations and one for the gradual discovery of the underlying structure in ensembles of events and experiences. He will explain how they work together in the intact system and fractionate following damage to the brain. The second in a series of free, public events held in conjunction with this CAS Initiative.