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Cited by 148Memory Processes and InfluencesMemory and Neural MechanismsCognitive Functions and Memory

Consolidation of Long-Term Memory: Evidence and Alternatives.

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Meeter, Martijn, Murre, Jaap M. J.·2004·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.130.6.843
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Abstract

Memory loss in retrograde amnesia has long been held to be larger for recent periods than for remote periods, a pattern usually referred to as the Ribot gradient. One explanation for this gradient is consolidation of long-term memories. Several computational models of such a process have shown how consolidation can explain characteristics of amnesia, but they have not elucidated how consolidation must be envisaged. Here findings are reviewed that shed light on how consolidation may be implemented in the brain. Moreover, consolidation is contrasted with alternative theories of the Ribot gradient. Consolidation theory, multiple trace theory, and semantization can all handle some findings well but not others. Conclusive evidence for or against consolidation thus remains to be found.

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  • Long-term memory is not defined solely by recalling, but by the ability to accumulate experiences, reconcile changes, and maintain a coherent mental model of the world.

    “Long-term memory is not defined solely by recalling (Ericsson and Kintsch, 1995), but by the ability to accumulate experiences (Meeter and Murre, 2004), reconcile changes (Wood et al., 2012), and maintain a coherent mental model of the world (Jones et al., 2011).”

    From From Recall to Forgetting: Benchmarking Long-Term Memory for Personalized Agents (2026) · cites this paper as Meeter and Murre, 2004

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Authors
Meeter, M., & Murre, J. M. J.
Affiliations
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2004
Volume
130
Issue
6
Pages
843-857
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/0033-2909.130.6.843
OpenAlex
W2011823958
Cited by
148
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 11
FWCI
4.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
memory consolidation, long-term memory, retrograde amnesia, memory loss, multiple trace theory, semanticization, computational model of memory, remote memory
MeSH terms
Amnesia, Retrograde, Brain, Hippocampus, Humans, Memory, Semantics

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