Redintegration
Encyclopedia
Redintegration refers to the restoration of the whole of something from a part of it. In cognitive psychology
the word is used in reference to phenomena in the field of memory
. The everyday phenomenon is that a small part of a memory can remind a person of the entire memory. In contemporary memory research it is defined as "the use of long-term knowledge to facilitate recall."
's novel Remembrance of Things Past. The conceit
is that the entire seven-volume novel consists of the memories triggered by the taste of a madeleine soaked in lime tea. "I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her concoction of lime-flowers which my aunt used to give to me. Immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like the scenery of a theatre to attach itself to the little pavilion, opening on to the garden, which had been built out behind it for my parents", ... for seven volumes. (See List of longest novels.)
of philosophical psychologists sought to explain and used as evidence supporting their theories.
, multi-syllable words that may not be heard completely can be recalled in their entirety. It is hypothesized that this is accomplished by a redintegration process which allows the entire word to be reconstructed by using the subject's knowledge of the vocabulary of the language. The process seems to work because of the redundancy
of language. The mechanics of redintegration is still not understood and is being actively researched.
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
the word is used in reference to phenomena in the field of memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
. The everyday phenomenon is that a small part of a memory can remind a person of the entire memory. In contemporary memory research it is defined as "the use of long-term knowledge to facilitate recall."
Proust
The great literary example of redintegration is Marcel ProustMarcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's novel Remembrance of Things Past. The conceit
Conceit
In literature, a conceit is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing, usurping and manipulating images and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparison...
is that the entire seven-volume novel consists of the memories triggered by the taste of a madeleine soaked in lime tea. "I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her concoction of lime-flowers which my aunt used to give to me. Immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like the scenery of a theatre to attach itself to the little pavilion, opening on to the garden, which had been built out behind it for my parents", ... for seven volumes. (See List of longest novels.)
Associationists
Redintegration was one of the memory phenomena that the Associationist schoolAssociationism
Associationism in philosophy refers to the idea that mental processes operate by the association of one state with its successor states.The idea is first recorded in Plato and Aristotle, especially with regard to the succession of memories....
of philosophical psychologists sought to explain and used as evidence supporting their theories.
Contemporary Memory Research
In the study of word recall in working memoryWorking memory
Working memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
, multi-syllable words that may not be heard completely can be recalled in their entirety. It is hypothesized that this is accomplished by a redintegration process which allows the entire word to be reconstructed by using the subject's knowledge of the vocabulary of the language. The process seems to work because of the redundancy
Redundancy (language)
In linguistics, redundancy is the construction of a phrase that presents some idea using more information, often via multiple means, than is necessary for one to be able understand the idea....
of language. The mechanics of redintegration is still not understood and is being actively researched.