Memory, design, and the role of computers

Human <I>memory </I>is commonly understood as the storage and retrieval of records of information. <I>Knowledge </I>is stored as schemata that consist of explicitly stored representations of objects. <I>Remembering </I>is retrieving representations; and <I>understanding </I>is mapping representations. By contrast, Rosenfield argues that memory is best understood as a process of <I>perceiving </I>and <I>behaving. </I>Memory does not directly reflect past information, but selects reconstructions appropriate to the situation in which the recollection is taking place. In this paper the author presents some major implications of this view of memory on the development of computer tools for designers.