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From: jhc@iris.brown.edu (James H. Coombs)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Redundancy and External Memory
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Date: 23 Sep 89 20:19:50 GMT
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References:<2007@hydra.gatech.EDU> <779@cogsci.ucsd.EDU>

In article <779@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> norman@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Donald A 
Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept) writes:
> There is hardly any research at all (let alone model) on external
> memory.  It is an important component of my current research, so any
> pointers freom readers of this newsgroup would be appreciated.

I have found Schonpflug's work very useful.  Briefly, in order to use an 
external store of information, people must maintain a reduced internal
representation along with a pointer to the external store.  An external
store will not be useful unless it significantly relieves the internal
store from the burdens of quantity and persistence.

I would be very interested in hearing criticisms of Schonpflug's work as 
well as more pointers to other research.


Schonpflug, W.   "External Information Storage:  An Issue for the 
Psychology of Memory."  F. Klix and H.  Hagendorf, eds., Human
Memory and Cognitive Capabilities.  Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1986.
369-75.

Schonpflug, W.  "Internal Representation of Externally Stored 
Information."  F. Klix and H. Wandke, eds. Man-Computer
Interaction Research.   MACINTER  I. 
Amsterdam:  North-Holland, 1986.  125-30.

Schonpflug, W.   "The Trade-off Between Internal and External Information  
Storage."   Journal  of Memory  and  Language  25 (1986):  657-75.

Schonpflug, Wolfgang.   "Retrieving Texts from an External Store:  The 
Effects  of an Explanatory  Context and of  Semantic Fit Between  Text  
and  Address."    Psychological  Research  50 (1988):  19-27.

--Jim

Dr. James H. Coombs
Senior Software Engineer, Research
Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship
Box 1952, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912