Papers by Michael McCloskey
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1988
Many people report vivid recollections of the circumstances in which they learned of major events... more Many people report vivid recollections of the circumstances in which they learned of major events, such as the assassination of President Kennedy, or the assassination attempt on President Reagan. argued that this phenomenon, which they labeled flashbulb memory, implies the existence of a special memory mechanism that creates a detailed, permanent record of the individual's experience when triggered by an event exceeding criterial levels of surprise and consequentiality. In this article we evaluate the special-mechanism hypothesis, arguing on empirical and logical grounds that the flashbulb-memory phenomenon does not motivate the postulation of a special flashbulb-memory mechanism. We suggest instead that flashbulb memories should be viewed as products of "ordinary" memory mechanisms, and hence as phenomena that may offer insights into the nature of these mechanisms.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1990
We recently argued (McCloskey, Wible, & Cohen, 1988) that the available evidence fail... more We recently argued (McCloskey, Wible, & Cohen, 1988) that the available evidence fails to warrant postulation of a special flashbulb memory mechanism. Although apparently agreeing with our conclusion, Pillemer (1990) criticizes us on a number of grounds. In this reply we address Pillemer’s criticisms.
Cognition, Aug 1, 1992
This article discusses cognitive neuropsychological research on acquired dyscalculia (i.e., impai... more This article discusses cognitive neuropsychological research on acquired dyscalculia (i.e., impaired numerical processing resulting from brain damage), surveying issues of current interest, and illustrating the ways in which analyses of acquired deficits can contribute to an understanding of normal processing. I first review the logic whereby inferences concerning normal cognition are drawn from patterns of impaired performance. I then consider research exploring the general functional architecture of the cognitive numerical processing mechanisms, and finally turn to studies aimed at probing the internal structure and functioning of individual processing components.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 02643298808253276, Aug 16, 2007
ABSTRACT In this article we respond to the commentaries on the lead article in this series. We fi... more ABSTRACT In this article we respond to the commentaries on the lead article in this series. We first attempt to state explicitly the assumptions underlying our conclusions about methodology in cognitive neuropsychology, and then address the specific arguments offered in the Commentaries. We argue that although the commentaries make a variety of important pints, these in no way lead to a modification of the conclusions we have reached.
Journal of Vision, Aug 3, 2014
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1988
In a recent article (McCloskey, Wible, & Cohen, 1988) we argued that the available data do no... more In a recent article (McCloskey, Wible, & Cohen, 1988) we argued that the available data do not warrant postulation of a special flashbulb-memory mechanism. Schmidt and Bohannon (1988) took issue with many of our arguments and conclusions. In this reply we suggest ...
Psych Learn Motiv Adv Res Th, 1989
Connectionist networks in which information is stored in weights on connections between simple pr... more Connectionist networks in which information is stored in weights on connections between simple processing units have attracted considerable interest in cognitive science (eg, Rumelhart, McClelland, & the PDP Research Group, 1986; McClelland, Rumelhart, & the ...
Abstract 1. presents two intensive case studies [of a 53-year-old male and a 39-year-old female] ... more Abstract 1. presents two intensive case studies [of a 53-year-old male and a 39-year-old female] on functional amnesia/in contrast to typical cases of psychogenic amnesia, where the memory impairment is informationally specific and temporally general, the amnesias ...
Connectionist networks in which information is stored in weights on connections between simple pr... more Connectionist networks in which information is stored in weights on connections between simple processing units have attracted considerable interest in cognitive science (eg, Rumelhart, McClelland, & the PDP Research Group, 1986; McClelland, Rumelhart, & the ...
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
Journal of Vision, 2014
Question 1: Does the perception of continuous (ie. smooth) motion ever rely on high-level systems... more Question 1: Does the perception of continuous (ie. smooth) motion ever rely on high-level systems? Hypothesis: Slow, smooth motion relies on the ability to localize object position over time. Despite locally adjacent transients, slow motion does not produce enough energy for effective summation. But it could work by more explicit comparisons of position over time. + + 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 0.08 0.14 0.64 1.53 Crowded Uncrowded * * Crowding selectively impairs slow, smooth motion perception. Local transients are still present, but object localization is impaired. This suggests a role for the latter in the perception of slow, smooth motion. Task: Fixate and report motion direction Accuracy Speed (deg/sec) Question 2: An oldy-but-goody. What accounts for the two possible percepts of the Ternus display? Hypothesis: Element motion is the output of low-level transient detectors (which ignore object coherence). Group motion is the output of a highlevel system that uses object positions and minimal mapping computations. Crowding biases participants to report element motion. Impairing the functioning of object localization (by crowding) biases towards the outputs of low-level transient systems. + + + + + + Alternating frames No Crowding Crowding (diff color) Crowding (same color) Task: Fixate and report group or element motion The informational basis of motion perception: Low-level transients and temporal summation vs. higher-level systems that require object localization to compare position over time. Space Time Posi'on Comparison L1 L2 Crowding is a powerful tool for isolating (motion) systems by selectively impairing the ability to localize objects. Johns Hopkins University 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 * No Crowd Diff Color Same color % Element motion Reprints [email protected]
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Jan 29, 2015
Motion perception is known to involve at least 2 kinds of mechanisms-lower level signal detectors... more Motion perception is known to involve at least 2 kinds of mechanisms-lower level signal detectors and higher level algorithms for comparing object positions over time. When stimulus motion is modal (continuously visible), it is generally assumed that processing via lower level mechanisms is sufficient to make accurate motion judgments. We investigated the possibility that higher level mechanisms may also be involved in the processing of slow motion, even when it is smooth and continuous. This possibility was suggested by results from a brain-damaged patient, JKI, who showed left visual field deficits in both the explicit representation of object position and judgments concerning the direction of slow, but not fast, smooth motion. We investigated the possibility further by using crowding to induce a behaviorally similar motion-perception deficit in healthy observers. Crowding, which is known to impair object-position representation, impaired direction judgments for slow, but not for ...
Discusses 2 alternative approaches to theory development and evaluation in the domain of numerica... more Discusses 2 alternative approaches to theory development and evaluation in the domain of numerical processing. A study of a brain-damaged patient with deficits in numerical processing is used to contrast the approach taken by M. McCloskey (see record 1993-06390-001) and M. McCloskey et al (see record 1986-06824-001) with that adopted by J. I. Campbell and J. M. Clark (1992; see also PA, Vols 75:30038 and 79:24112). Whereas the modular model proposed by colleagues and the present authors represents an attempt to develop a model sufficiently constrained and explicit to generate specific testable predictions, Campbell and Clark's encoding complex approach is unconstrained and inexplicit, and does not constitute a specific theory that is subject to empirical test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Studies of 'Flashbulb' Memories, 1992
11 Special versus ordinary memory mechanisms in the genesis of flashbulb memories MICHAEL McCLOSK... more 11 Special versus ordinary memory mechanisms in the genesis of flashbulb memories MICHAEL McCLOSKEY The chapters in this volume, as well as the discussions at the conference from which the volume emerged, illustrate clearly that the study of" flashbulb" memories raises ...
Advances in Psychology, 1992
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Papers by Michael McCloskey