Findings on episodic memory
The findings of a research team from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Bern on unconscious episodic memory processes should also be of interest to music education.
We automatically store our everyday experiences in our so-called episodic memory, a memory system based on the central brain structure hippocampus. Until now, researchers have assumed that only conscious experiences are stored in the episodic memory and via the hippocampus and also influence behavior.
A new study by researchers led by Katharina Henke from the University of Bern now shows that unconsciously experienced information is also stored in episodic memory and has an impact on behavior. The researchers also discovered that only consciously learned, but not unconsciously learned, episodic knowledge is subject to a forgetting process. The findings are also likely to have consequences for memorization strategies in music practice.
