the-BA : Magical Memory Tour launch

External link to Magical Memory Tour website

Embargoed until 00:01 Sunday 9 March

Scientists at the University of Leeds are asking people to blog their memories of the Beatles to create the biggest database of “autobiographical memories” ever attempted.

The online survey, devised by psychologists Professor Martin Conway and Dr Catriona Morrison from the Leeds Memory Group, aims to enhance our understanding of human memory by uncovering the role The Beatles and their music play in our personal histories.

Psychologists know that certain cues are successful at triggering the recollection of events from our lives – our “autobiographical memories”. Music in particular has a strong emotive and recollective power in relation to our long-term memory.

As global pop icons, the impact of the life, times and music of The Beatles spans different generations countries and cultures.

Whilst the majority of memory studies look at ‘flash-bulb’ events such as the shuttle disaster this will be the first time psychologists have attempted to gather a huge database of memories by tapping into the unique global influence The Beatles have in shaping our personal identities.

The results will help them further understand how children develop a capacity for memory, how adults process memory and how memory changes in older adulthood.

The survey is aimed at anyone, anywhere who has a memory relating to the Beatles (you don’t have to be a fan to get involved!). Participants should think about the first thing that comes to mind from their life that is related to the Beatles. It may be a very vivid memory relating to a particular album, song, news story - or even band member.

At www.magicalmemorytour.com participants will have the opportunity to input their own memories and explore other people’s. They can find out which albums evoke the most memories; which songs evoke positive or negative memories; which news events are most vividly remembered.

Launched in partnership with the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) as part of National Science and Engineering Week (7-16 March), and during Brain Awareness Week (6-10 March), results from the survey will be launched at the BA Festival of Science (6 – 11 September) in Liverpool.

Professor Conway says “one of the things we hope to analyse is which Beatles’ cues trigger the most memories, and why. Is it a song, album, or news event? And does this very vivid memory depend upon the age you were when the memory event occurred, or is it more closely related to how strongly you feel about the Beatles or the memory itself?”

Sue Hordijenko, Director of Programmes at the BA, says “we are thrilled that Liverpool is to host our annual Festival of Science this September and as a celebration of the City’s status as European Capital of Culture we want everyone who has a memory to share about the Beatles to log on to the Magical Memory Tour website and play their part in creating a scientific legacy of how human memory relates to Liverpool’s most famous sons”.

National Science and Engineering Week is coordinated by the BA in partnership with the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), and funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

This year’s BA Festival of Science is organised in partnership with the University of Liverpool and the Greater Merseyside SETPOINT. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Magical Memory Tour is specifically supported by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC) along with the Beatles Story.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Kirsten Robinson on 0845 226 0803
kirsten.robinson@mission-21.com

Lisa Hendry on 020 7019 4946
Lisa.Hendry@the-ba.net

Note for editors

1. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. For more information about the BA, please visit www.the-ba.net.

2. Professor Martin Conway is an internationally recognised cognitive psychologist. His current research interests focus on autobiographical memory; impairments of memory following brain injury; disruptions of memory in psychiatric illness; changes in memory across the lifespan; the self and memory; motivation and memory; emotion and memory; expert legal testimony on memory. Professor Conway has been a key figure in identifying and developing the concept of autobiographical memory, and his previous projects on this topic include the 2007 BBC “You and Your Memory” series. He will also feature on a forthcoming Horizon programme on childhood memory (25/03/08). Professor Conway is currently Chair of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Research Board.

Dr Catriona Morrison is an experimental psychologist whose research interests include the psychology of language, cognitive ageing, and autobiographical memory. Dr Morrison’s work has been influential in advancing understanding of the way in which early developmental experience exerts a widespread, lifelong effect on many aspects of psychological processing and she has a track record of publications in high-quality, international journals. Dr Morrison is currently Honorary Chair of the Cognitive Section of the BPS.

Dr Morrison and Professor Conway are members of the Leeds Memory Group, a dynamic group of researchers engaged in projects ranging from the nature of consciousness to the effects of dementia on the ageing brain. Current projects within this group include a study into the importance of keeping the mind active in older adulthood as a means of preserving healthy functioning; a project on the effects of cognitive strategies in enhancing learning amongst university students; and a study of the role of language in the development of memory in early childhood.

3. The Dana Alliance comprises the European Dana Alliance for the Brain (EDAB) www.dana.org/edab and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (DABI) www.dana.org in the Americas. The Dana Alliance is an organisation of more than 450 eminent neuroscientists, including 15 Nobel laureates from 29 countries who are committed to advancing public awareness about the importance of brain research. Brain Awareness Week (BAW), 10-16 March, is an international campaign to raise public awareness of brain research. It is coordinated by EDAB and DABI. Every year, more than 2,100 schools, universities, charities and organisations in 75 countries participate in the campaign. Please visit http://edab.dana.org/baw/index_en.cfm to find out more about BAW.

4. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It ESRC's Festival of Social Science runs from the 7th to the 16th March 2008 alongside National Science and Engineering Week. It celebrates some of the very best British social science research, as well as highlighting the ways in which social science makes a difference to everyday lives.

5. Located within Liverpool's historic Albert Dock, the Beatles Story is a unique visitor attraction that will transport you on an enlightening and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles.

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