The dynamics of remembering and forgetting

Abstract

[Excerpt] Human memory does not correspond to the objective recollection of events or the simple storage of a fixed past. It is a selective process of permanent interpretation and reconstruction as a function of a given context. The dynamics of remembering and forgetting are shaped by various personal, societal and cultural factors, and are subject to various ‘biases’. Our perception of people and events is shaped by an economy of attention in which certain aspects are noticed and others remain unnoticed, even when we strive to pay as much attention as possible.