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the other voluntary, deliberate, and accomplished by
feedback of cues assembled from conscious analysis and
evaluation of thinking2 (LMA).
The model illustrates how HRS can retrieve information
from the briefly perceived, subliminal exposition, yet LMA,
which must have reference to a process of duration, cannot
access the same data. The film frame/clip analogy is useful
here: the 30ms exposure is recorded, just like all sensory
data, but it represents only a frame of a film. LMA must
access a sequence of frames during recall, a series of time-
related frames of a certain duration, a "film clip". This
may be a result of the nature of the cues which are used in
LMA, or perhaps just the inherent operating characteristics
of the brain system which reconstructs conscious memories.
Or it might be hypothesized that the memory of an
instantaneous cross-section in time, like the 30ms.
exposure, would simply not register in consciousness, thus
no process of cue-construction necessary to retrieve a
memory would be possible.
An interesting experiment suggests itself to attempt to
show the operation of information collected and useable as
habit routines, but not accessible in LMA. A series of
images is shown, all subliminally, demonstrating one of
several possible logical relations between several different
generic objects depicted in the images. By "generic" I mean
that the objects do not have individual or "personal"
characteristics, but denote a type, or a class. Numbers or
letters in a non-descript font would be a good example, as
would simple geometric figures. In each image is also a
prominent and unchanging "reference" object which does have
intrinsic specific characteristics, a photograph of Jack
Nicholson perhaps. The images may be interspersed with other
images, both subliminal and perceptible, or they may even be
inserted in a short film, for instance.
Afterwards the subject is asked to deduce a possible
logical relation between the several types of generic
objects, now shown continuously, in one case with the
reference object shown, and in another case without the
reference. To deduce any one of the several possible logical
relations between the generic objects requires a logical
sequence of brain/mind operations, including attention and
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The Center of the Universe Chapter 4
decision, reference to previously learned knowledge of
similar cases, it requires deliberation of a complex nature.
The logical relation between the generic test objects
implied by the series of subliminal frames, if deduced
preferentially over other possible logical relations when
the reference object is included, would indicate that habit
routines had been installed by the data in the images; the
co-presentation of the reference object should reinforce the
habit routine learned about the logical relation indicated
by the images. And not only would the routines be invisible
to LMA, but even recall of the objects themselves would be
nil.
Note that some preference for the required logical
relation should be present even without the reference
object. The prediction is that a small preference should be
found without, and a larger and much more significant
preference with the reference object present. This is
because the reference object has obvious and strong
individual characteristics which would be expected to
activate the assembly of habit routines in which it played a
part, whereas the test objects have little or no specific
characteristics. The experiment would demonstrate that even
complex logical decisions, supposedly made on the basis of
consciously applied information and calculation, are
nevertheless guided by invisible and pre-emptory patterns
installed in memory in perhaps involuntary and illogical
ways. (What would be logical about preferentially choosing
one of several relations among geometric figures based on a
picture of Jack Nicholson being present?!).
Context - Dependent Memory
This proposed experiment is a reduction to the
subliminal perception level of a more general phenomenon
called Context-Dependent Memory, which was described as long
ago as 1690:
The British associationist philosopher John Locke
refers to the case of a young man who was taught to
dance. His lessons always took place in the same
room which contained a large trunk. Alas, it
subsequently proved to be the case that: "The idea
of this remarkable piece of household stuff had so
mixed itself with the turns and steps of all his
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The Center of the Universe Chapter 4
dances, that though in that chamber he could dance
excellently well, yet it was only while the trunk
was there." (11)
Experimental studies of context-dependent memory in
recent years have established the importance of the effect,
but no general cognitive model has been proposed which might
explain its operation. The application of the habit routine
model may consolidate understanding of several currently
studied aspects of memory. Baddeley reports a particularly
interesting study, the results of which lend themselves
directly to interpretation using the habit routine model.
This interpretation of context-dependent memory will
additionally lead us into another question of importance for
understanding HRS and LMA and how these processes are
initiated:
Is it actually necessary for the subject to return
physically to the same environment for context-
dependent effects to work, or is it sufficient to
imagine the original environment? This was explored
in a study by Smith (1979) who had his subjects
study 80 common words in a distinctive basement
room on the first day, and then attempt to recall
them on a second day in either the same room, or in
a fifth-floor room with very different contents and
furnishings. Subjects who recalled in the original
basement room tended to remember about 18 words,
significantly more than those who remembered in the
different upstairs room, who recalled only about
12. Of particular interest however was a third
group who were tested in the different upstairs
room, but instructed to try to recollect as much as
possible of the original learning environment
before starting to recall. They remembered an
average of 17.2 words, not significantly different
from those who had physically returned to the
learning environment. (12)
The habit routine interpretation of these experimental
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