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Back to Understanding Memory: Explaining the Psychology of Memory through Movies

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Understanding Memory: Explaining the Psychology of Memory through Movies by Wesleyan University

4.7
stars
2,190 ratings

About the Course

Welcome to Understanding Memory. Someone once said that memory is fascinating because sometimes we forget what we want to remember, sometimes we remember what we want to forget, and sometimes we remember events that never happened or never happened the way we remember them. I want to show you how memory works, why it sometimes fails, and what we can do to enhance it. Based on my recent book – Memory and Movies: What Films Can Teach Us About Memory (MIT Press, 2015) – I will provide an introduction to the scientific study of human memory by focusing on a select group of topics that hold widespread appeal. To facilitate your understanding, I will use clips from numerous films to illustrate different aspects of memory – describing what has been learned about memory in a nontechnical way for people with no prior background in psychology. Many of us love watching movies because they offer an unparalleled opportunity for entertainment, even if entertaining films are not always scientifically accurate. Still, I believe that we can learn a lot about memory from popular films, if we watch them with an educated eye. Welcome once more. I am looking forward to showing you what movies can teach us about memory. John Seamon Professor of Psychology Emeritus Wesleyan University...

Top reviews

RD

Jul 31, 2020

The material is presented in an easy to remember and understand format. Information is repeated several times during a lecture. The videos chosen enhanced understanding and engagement in the lectures.

VS

Sep 8, 2016

Very good course. It complete its purpose and manage to teach a lot of things in a simple and fast way, wich is the objetive of Coursera. Also, the forum is full of discussions, wich is interesting.

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51 - 75 of 642 Reviews for Understanding Memory: Explaining the Psychology of Memory through Movies

By Angie Z

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Jul 5, 2016

This is an excellent course with a very knowledgeable instructor with the course information laid out in a simple and organized way. I definitely recommend this course to others who would be interested In an interest section of psychology that affects us all, memory. The movies help illustrate the points and concepts that are in the lecture so that we can a have grasp of them.

By K R A

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May 19, 2020

The course covers memory and its many facets in a very lucid manner so that even a lay person can benefit. The course material is presented exceptionally well by the professor..making us want to continue to continue to progress. The movies have been selected very well indeed to illustrate concepts and also to keep us engrossed...I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Thank you.

By Valentina D R

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Jul 24, 2020

Enjoy a course I can watch and learn, as I like to listen to interesting facts while I sew or paint.

I loved that I could repeat the quiz, so then I ended up learning.

I have concluded that my semantic memory is faster than my episodic!

The fact that John spoke slow and clear helped a lot.

Thank you John, you have a lovely energy and was like having my dad tell me stories xx

By GaivilÄ— K

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Jan 21, 2018

This is my first course on Coursera. Rate it 5 stars, because I learned some new and useful information about memory and our brains. Also, the presentation of course is highly creative and therefore more memorable. What is more, the professor's speaking and teaching way really helps to memorize as much information as possible! I highly recommend this course to everyone!

By Bing Y T

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Oct 1, 2021

The course progressed with a steady flow. We went from introductory material on psychology and memory to a comprehensive look on humanity and existence through different phenomena explained. The videos are engaging and relevant film clips are edited well together. The pace is just right for students to take notes as well and feel the impact of the stories chosen.

By Alpa M

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May 16, 2017

This is a wonderful course and a very nice way of learning about memory. Professor Seamon's narration and teaching was simple and easy to understand. The lecture were of just the right length to hold attention and not cause boredom.The course was funny and had some very touchy moments. The films shown are really interesting. Thank you for such a wonderful course.

By Rita d C A G O

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Aug 5, 2018

Excelente curso. Muito bom para saber como lidar com trabalhadores seniores, principalmente com as novas mudanças na idade mínima da aposentadoria. Informações importantes para ajudar a lidar com funcionários jovens e seniores no mesmo local de trabalho. Muito interessante as informações sobre memória, principalmente pelo uso de recursos como filmes e livros.

By Vassia D

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May 24, 2016

A very useful course, and not just for psychologists. I have a mother that has memory problems, and this course helped me identify her illness and help her in any way I can.

Also, as a movie fanatic, it was so much easier to understand the complex ways our mind works through all the great movies our instructor used. Thank you so much for this course!!!

By Kezia S

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Apr 5, 2019

As a movie enthusiast who likes to study basic psychology, this course truly feels like a remarkable combination. It's personally not difficult for me to get engaged with the materials, very exciting, makes myself really have productive time learning. Thank you for the Professor Seamon. I have learned a lot from this course. Have many good memories!

By C M

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Apr 4, 2019

Thank you very much for this opportunity to learn and expand our understanding of memory. I love films and any excuse to watch films residing with important concepts is a wonderful approach. Thank you Prof Seamon and coursera for this chance. I bought the book and it is one that I’ll treasure.

A room without books is a room without a soul.

Cicero

By Susan H

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Jun 15, 2017

I learned so much from this course. I now know how to take care of myself. And not to worry about my 80 year old parents so much. The use of movies to illustrate memory was fantastic in that the subject was entertaining. I liked the professor and subject so much I bought the book. What a nice combination to teach a subject. Movies and memory.

By Muazzam R

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Nov 20, 2020

Excellent course, it is informative and enchanting ! I've learned a lot about memory, amnesia and Alzheimer's disease. The professor John Seamon is so sophisticated and insightful.

I would recommend this course to my friends and colleagues, as I think everyone should know how fascinating our memory is.

Thank you for creating this course!

By Amalia R

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Oct 12, 2023

Very informative! I used this class to supplement/get information prior to my college Cognition class. Some extra material was in this class that was really interesting and helpful. I had his book already and I ended up getting 6-7 of the movies he mentioned. Loved this class and how informative and relatable the material was.

By rosana p d m

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Nov 26, 2016

Excelente curso. Dados muito interessantes sobre os processos que envolvem a memória e o funcionamento cerebral. Professor muito envolvente e claramente apaixonado pelo que faz. Sua maneira de ensinar usando os filmes deixa o curso leve e atraente. Fiquei com vontade de assistir mais. Estou aguardando novos cursos da Universidade.

By Maria-Anastasia A

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Jan 14, 2017

The course was very interesting and easy most of the times to follow. The idea to use films in order to show some facts about memory is unique and makes the course very attractive. I would highly recommend this course. I learned a lot and i did it in a very pleasant way. Thank you for the opportunity to follow this course.

By Subbalakshmi K

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Nov 26, 2017

It was a brilliant experience! Not only the content of the course but the way in which the movies were used to highlight so many facts and explanations in the course. Being a teacher myself, I was blown away both by the content and the way in which it was delivered. Liked the soft-spoken way of Prof John Seamon. Thanks.

By Jekaterina C

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May 8, 2021

Really enjoyed the course! The topics were presented in an easy and understandable way, as well as comparison between real cases and how it is portrayed in the movies- helped not only to understand, but also to remember it better. Overall, pretty easy and nice lections about memory, illnesses and their impact on life.

By Carlos L M V

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Jan 30, 2020

El curso presenta y expone un tema tal como la memoria memoria de manera apasionada, atractiva y clara. Aborda la importancia de indagar sobre esta temática. La aborda desde una perspectiva clínica y científica, donde se destaca la importancia de la investigación de la memoria y su importancia en la salud publica.

By Serena G

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Oct 23, 2020

Very glad to chance upon this fascinating course whilst browsing through the catalog. It gives me a greater understanding of our memory systems. Thank you Prof Seamon for making the lectures so interesting and engaging through clips from a no. of movies. The summary at the end of each lecture is most useful.

By Raymonde B

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Sep 19, 2019

Professor Seamon,Thank you so much for a most interesting course. Having no background inpsychology, I now am determined to study more in this field- so I boughtyour book!I enjoy taking these courses for my own interest as I am a semi- retiredlanguage instructor and have more free time now.

Raymonde Burke

By Anabela C

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Nov 14, 2019

John Seamon es un excelente profesor y disfrute tanto del curso, que me apeno terminarlo. Aprendi mucho en el curso y esta hecho con tanto amor que realmente siento que las lecciones quedaron en los huesos. Mi mayor agradecimiento hacia John Seamon y todo el equipo de Coursera que hizo posible el curso.

By Minh N

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Jun 27, 2021

If youre someone that loves film and Cog Psych, this course combines the best of both worlds together! It's a fantastic course to pick up if you're interested in learning the basis of Cognition and how we think, all through the intertwined connection of film and media. A course I highly recommend!

By Louise J

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Sep 17, 2020

This course should appeal to everyone. The instructor explains complex psychological concepts using clips from movies to illustrate. If you expect to age, if you are interested in how and why we remember what we do, or if you want to understand how the brain works, this is a great class to take.

By Leung P C

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Jun 10, 2018

Changes in memory can occur as we get older, so I think everyone should know more about it. This course give me the chance to learn more about memory through the Psychology way and the interesting movies. It give me the idea to develop my personality and improve (inspiring) my life, thank you!!

By Diane F

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Oct 25, 2020

I've taken several Coursera courses but this was by far the very best! The professor was wonderful. The approach was great for people who have little or no background in the study of psychology. What a creative idea using movies! Now I have a whole list of movies I can't wait to watch.