A functionalistic approach to memory: theory and data

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual frame of reference for memory research on the basis of two recent lines of development. One such key development is that of a functional orientation of memory research focusing on processing and function rather than structure and memory entities. The other line of development concerns information storage as distributed rather than localized. A functionalistic frame of reference involving a notion of distributed storage is proposed. According to this view remembering is seen as an interaction between available cognitive capabilities and demands of the task in which the individual is remembering something. Encoding is conceived of as an interaction between "affordances" of the environment and "functional dispositions" of the individual. Retrieval is seen as a re-activation of functional dispositions. The formation of unique combinations of functional dispositions plays a crucial role in obtaining perfect recall performance. The viability of the overall conceptual framework is demonstrated in three experimental studies. The development of the design and procedure for these experiments was a second purpose of this paper, namely to outline an experimental setting which could serve as a complement to computer simulations in studying notions of distributed storage.     

Overestimation of subjective probabilities

Abstract.— When asked to estimate the probability of outcomes of draws from a binomial population, student subjects tend to report p values that clearly exceed the objective ones. The probability of specific binomial sequences was found to be even more overestimated, while the answers became much more conservative when the outcomes were grouped into a few categories. These findings were replicated in a second experiment, where the probability of heights in a male and a female student population was estimated. When the task was to estimate frequency of occurrence, instead of probability, the answers became more realistic. The conclusion is drawn that the direct p estimates are relatively independent of frequency judgments, the chief determinant being the properties of the particular sample to be evaluated, irrespective of the number and probabilities of other possible samples.     

Communicating Intentions Through Nonverbal Behaviors Conscious and Nonconscious Encoding of Liking

The fundamental components of interpersonal transactions at the nonverbal level often include the cognitively held intention of one person to increase or decrease affiliation with his or her partner, the encoding of this intention into behavioral displays, and the decoding of the behavioral displays by the other. Nonverbal encoding of relational information may be conducted at less than conscious levels of information processing although intentions may be held consciously. A study was conducted in which naive confederates were induced to either increase or decrease their displays of liking for their partner. It was found that confederates’intentions to show increased or decreased liking toward their partners were positively correlated with the partners’liking for the confederate. However, less than one quarter of the confederates could demonstrate an accurate conscious awareness of the behaviors they used and how they used them. Of this small number, those who were given the conscious intention of showing decreased liking demonstrated the most conscious awareness of their nonverbal behaviors.