Synopsis:
Memory slip-ups are a part of everyday life – we use our memory in every second of every day (even when we’re asleep!), so is it surprising that it sometimes goes wrong? Should we be worried about it? In this talk I will discuss some of the ways in which memory lets us down and why that might even be adaptive. We’ll look at some of the cues we use to investigate memory, and a key one currently is the use of music, but all our senses can be invoked to trigger memory. We’ll also consider how memory emerges and changes across the lifespan, and consider a very interesting analysis of the author Iris Murdoch’s work that suggests there were early clues about her developing dementia.

Through public events the University of Bradford seeks to provide a forum for academics, students, experts in their fields and the public to discuss areas of work of the University and their relation to society.

Biography:
Catriona Morrison is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology at Bradford. She has an MA from the University of Glasgow, a doctorate from the University of York, and has worked at the universities of Cardiff, Leeds and Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh. She has a keen interest in student education and public engagement and is a former Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Education Board. Her research interests, aside from memory, include the psychology of language, the psychology of addiction, and, most recently, has been investigating the growing problem of online trolling.