The repeated reproduction of Bartlett's Remembering

There is a striking parallel between the treatment of F. C. Bartlett's theories of memory in the psychological literature and Bartlett's own characterization of reproductive memory as interest driven and constructive. Three periods of intensified interest in Bartlett's classic book Remembering (1932/1995) can be identified. The 1st occurred in the wake of the publication of Remembering and focused on replication and extension of the empirical work. The 2nd was during the period of the "cognitive revolution" and treated Bartlett's key theoretical concept of "schema" within an information-processing framework. The 3rd is an ongoing revitalization of interest in the cultural and social aspects of Bartlett's multifaceted theory. Each wave of increased interest in Bartlett's work has brought different aspects of his thinking to the fore, producing different versions of his theory of remembering that reflect the theoretical climate of the time.