An innovative thinker and scientific leader in psychology
Tulving’s early work on “subjective organization” in free recall led him to the study of retrieval processes that had been largely neglected by previous generations of memory researchers. This work culminated in the “encoding specificity principle.” In 1972 he introduced, and later elaborated, the theory of “episodic memory.” This theory, now generally accepted, has played an important role in the evolution of the concept of “multiple memory systems.” His work has not rested on theoretical shelves but has led to an increased understanding of neurological disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. In recent years, with the advancement of technology, he has been studying the neural correlates of encoding and retrieval processes in different memory systems.