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Attention and Memory

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Synonyms

Awareness; Cognition; Consciousness; Inquisitiveness; Recall; Recollection; Reminiscence; Selection

Definition

Attention and memory are a set of linked, cognitive processes. Attention refers to a number of processes – some deliberate, others unconscious – where a discrete aspect of information is selected over other, ignored information. Memory involves reproducing or recalling what had previously received attention and priority. These are related processes, as information maintained and attended to then becomes a more durable memory.

Introduction

In both humans and the animal kingdom, attention and memory have functional relevance. Both groups rely on these cognitive processes, in similar ways. Attention describes the “who” and “what” of our conscious experience, as it helps keep something “alive” longer. This is the case for all animals, as they must encode and understand their dynamic environment, with the complexities associated with locating food and water, protecting...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling and Psychology, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA

    Taylor B. Howle & Stephanie A. Kazanas

Authors
  1. Taylor B. Howle
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  2. Stephanie A. Kazanas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephanie A. Kazanas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

  2. Child, Youth and Family Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

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Howle, T.B., Kazanas, S.A. (2019). Attention and Memory. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_622-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_622-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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