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Richard Semon's Theory of Memory JOURNAL OF VERBAL LEARNING AND VERBAL BEHAVIOR 17, 721--743 (1978) Richard Semon's Theory of Memory DANIEL L. SCHACTER, JAMES ERIC EICH, AND ENDEL TULVlNG University of Toronto In the first decade of the 20th century, Richard Semon put forward a theory of memory that anticipated numerous recent developments in memory research. The theory is discussed both in its historical context and with reference to modem ideas. Semon's theoretical concern for retrieval phenomena is particularly noteworthy. Several reasons are suggested why the theory is virtually unknown today. Current research in the area of human Wolfgang Semon, a German scientist who memory owes many of its present orienting wrote two books on the subject of human attitudes and research techniques to pioneer- memory in the first decade of the 20th century. ing psychologists of the late 19th and early In fact, Semon's work has been almost com- 20th centuries. Among the most well known pletely ignored by mainstream psychologists and important of these early investigators are concerned with processes of memory and Hermann Ebbinghaus, who performed the learning; later in this paper we will explore first systematic laboratory studies of human some of the reasons why Semon's work has memory; William James, whose distinction been bypassed. Yet prominent anatomist J. Z. between primary and secondary memory is Young (1965, p.288) commented that still today the target of much research and "...many modern ideas on the subject [of theorizing~ G. E. Miiller, who performed memoryl go back to Richard Semon...;" important early research on grouping and Gestalt psychologist Kurt Koffka (1935, interference; and Sir Frederic Bartlett, whose p. 598), though refraining from discussing reconstructive approach to memory has be- Semon's theory in detail, noted that "... this come influential in recent years. It is likely that omission is not due to a lack of appreciation of most modern students of memory are familiar Semon's great achievement;" Nobel Prize with the writings of the above psychologists, winning physicist Erwin Schr6dinger (1964, and have probably been influenced, to varying p. 44) regretted that a physiological model of degrees, by their research and theories. It is Semon's theory of memory had not yet been much less likely that these same students of developed "... important though it would be memory are familiar with the work o f Richard for the advancement of our knowledge;" and This paper was written while Daniel Schacter and Bertrand Russell who, in a chapter in The Endel Tulving were visitors at the Department of Analysis of Mind, introduced Semon's work Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. The to English readers, flatly stated that, "The best work was supported by a National Science Foundation writer on mnemic phenomena known to me is Predoctoral Fellowship to D. L. Schacter, University of Toronto Predoctoral Fellowship to J. E. Eich, and by the Richard Semon..." (1921, p.83). National Research Council of Canada, Grant No. A8632 What in Semon's work elicited the ac- to E. Tulving. We thank Margaret Boden, Douglas colades of the distinguished scientist- Hintzman, Gregory Jones, and George Mandler for philosophers mentioned above? It is the helpful comments on the manuscript. Requests for re- prints should be sent to Daniel L. Schacter, Department purpose of the present paper to explore in of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, Canada, some detail Richard Semon's analysis of M5S 1A1. human memory, place this analysis in its 721 (1022 537t/78/0176-0721502.00/0 Copyright !: 1978 by Academic Press, lnc, All rights of reproduction in m!y form reserved. Printed in Great Britain 722 SCHACTER, EICH, AND TULVING historical context, and elucidate some of the the thesis that the mechanisms of memory and reasons why Semon's work is virtually un- heredity are identical. As we shall argue later, known to present-day students of human advocacy of this thesis, that also led Semon to memory. It is our thesis that Semon's analysis support the highly controversial Lamarckian anticipated many current research problems doctrine of the inheritance of acquired charac- and approaches to the study of memory in a teristics, proved to be a key scientific error. At most striking fashion, and that his work Easter 1918, Semon's wife succumbed to a contains potentially valuable suggestions and long illness. Severly disturbed by this loss, implications for contemporary researchers. shattered by the collapse of his native Germany in World War 1, and deeply dis- turbed about the lack of recognition of his THE BACKGROUND work, Richard Semon ended his own life on Richard Semon was born in Berlin on December 27, 1918. August 22, 1859. His father Simon was a Before we move on to a consideration of stockbroker; his older brother Felix became a Semon's work and its historical context, it will prominent laryngologist in England, received be useful to clarify two points. First is the a knighthood in 1897, and was appointed problem of terminology. Semon believed physician to King Edward VII in 1901. Semon strongly that everyday terms commonly used was awarded his Dr. Phil. for zoological work to talk about memory had too many undesir- at Jena in 1883, and earned his Dr. Med. in able connotations to be of precise scientific 1886. During this period, Semon studied with value. Accordingly, he invented his own terms some of the most prominent scientists of the to correspond more exactly to his intended day, including the noted biologist Ernst meanings. One of Semon's terminological Haeckel; Haeckel's emphasis on the theoreti- creations, the word "engram" [defined by cal unification of diverse biological pheno- Semon as "... the enduring though primarily mena had a particularly strong influence on latent modification in the irritable substance Semon. After receiving an associate professor- produced by a stimulus..." (1921, p. 12)] has ship at Jena in 1891, Semon led a successful persisted in present-day usage, and is prob- biological expedition to Australia from 1891- ably most closely associated with the famous 1893 (Semon, 1899). He left Jena in 1897 for paper of Lashley (1960). Another of Semon's personal reasons, and established himself as a creations, the term "ecphory" [defined by private scholar in Munich. Semon as "... the influences which awaken the It was during this period that Semon pub- mnemic trace or engram out of its latent state lished his two books on memory: Die Mneme into one of manifested activity..." (1921, (1904) (translated into English as The Mneme p. 12)] has been used quite infrequently. Since in 1921) and Die mnemischen Empfindungen "engram" is roughly equivalent to the phrase (1909) (translated as Mnemic Psychology in "memory trace" and "ecphory" is roughly 1923). 1 Mnemic Psychology is devoted com- equivalent to "retrieval" or "recall," we will pletely to the analysis of human memory. use these terms interchangeably throughout However, in The Mneme, Semon examined this paper. 2 We will, of course, define all new not only the phemomena of human memory terms as they arise. but also advanced and attempted to support Second, when we speak of the "historical context" of Semon's theories, we refer specifi- 1 We will cite the English versions of these two books cally to the period from 1885-1935. Con- throughout this paper. Although we will quote most extensively from Mnemic Psychology, the reader should 2 It is possible to distinguish between ecphory and bear in mind the most of Semon's major ideas concerning retrieval, as noted in Tulving (1976). We will not concern human memory date to 1904. ourselves with the distinction in the present paper. RICHARD SEMON'S THEORY OF MEMORY 723 sideration of memory research during this time of storage need be present at the time of period will enable us to describe the theoreti- recall in order for retrieval of the original cal concerns of the field in both the years event in its entirety to occur. This view of preceding and following publication of retrieval (one of the very few such views that Semon's work. We chose the year 1885 to had been explicitly formulated in Semon's initiate our historical consideration because time) was further developed and utilized by this was the year in which Ebbinghaus pub- Semon in analyses of problems such as as- lished the first experimental studies of sociation by contiguity vs association by memory; we terminate our historical survey in similarity and the temporal organization of 1935 because in subsequent years interest in memory, and led Semon to formulate novel the general problem of memory gave way to positions concerning matters such as the the more restricted concerns of the verbal active role of ecphory in establishing new learning tradition before surfacing again in the engram-complexes and the role that ecphory early 1960s. plays in the storage of new engram-complexes. Also, by allowing for the representation of internal or "energetic" stimuli in engram- PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF THE THEORY complexes, Semon was able to offer sur- Semon's theory of memory was based upon prisingly modern statements concerning two fundamental postulates, which the author phenomena such as state-dependent retrieval. termed the "Law of Engraphy" and the "Law We will explore these points in greater detail of Ecphory." The first law was Semon's shortly. characterization of memory storage: "All A third notion that is part of the kernel of simultaneous excitations...within our organ- Semon's theory (although it was not granted isms form a connected simultaneous complex the status of a "law" by Semon) is the concept of excitations which, as such, acts engraphi- of homophony. Homophony may be most cally, that is to say leaves behind it a connected simply viewed as a resonance metaphor; and, to that extent, unified engram-complex" Semon used it to describe the mechanism by (1923, pp.
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