Fergus I. M. Craik
Fergus Craik | |
---|---|
Born | Fergus Ian Muirden Craik 17 April 1935 Levels-of-processing effect |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | University of Toronto (1971–2000), Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute (presently) |
Thesis | Age differences in confidence and decision processes (1965) |
Doctoral students | Nicole Anderson |
Fergus Ian Muirden Craik
He studied at the University of Edinburgh and gained his bachelor of science in psychology in 1960. In 1965, he received his PhD from the University of Liverpool. He began his academic career at Birkbeck College, and then moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to pursue an academic career at the University of Toronto in 1971. Currently, he is a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto. In recent times, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2008.[2]
Early life
Craik was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the eldest of three siblings. A year and a half into his life, his family relocated to the small market-town of Lockerbie, Scotland. His initial career aspiration was to be a minister or a carpenter.[3] He attended Lockerbie Academy throughout his childhood and his parents enrolled him in George Watson's Boys’ College, in Edinburgh, at age 12.
His parents’ decision to send him to a high-ranking high school enabled Craik to discover his strengths. He excelled in physics, english, and biological sciences which helped change his career aspirations upon graduating high school.[4]
During his time at the University of Edinburgh, Craik met his wife, Anne, through a study for his undergraduate thesis. Together, they raised two children: Lindsay (born 1963) and Neil (born 1965).
Education and academic career
Craik's introduction to psychology stemmed from his dissatisfaction in medical school. While he found
In 1960, Craik was offered a position at the Medical Research Council in
Later in 1965, Craik accepted his first faculty position at
Following a NATO-sponsored meeting on memory in 1967, Craik was offered the opportunity to act as a visiting professor at the University of Toronto by fellow attendee and prominent psychologist, Endel Tulving.[4] He completed this opportunity during 1968–1969. As an abundance of memory-based research was being conducted by Endel Tulving and his colleagues at the University of Toronto, Craik and his family permanently relocated to Toronto in 1971.
At the University of Toronto, Craik worked as an association professor of psychology at the
As Craik’s research endeavors explored memory processing, he began to incorporate aging into his research during the 1980s.[4] Craik also involved himself in editorial boards for journals and visited other psychology departments and institutions in North America.
With the invention of functional neuroimaging and the University of Toronto’s acquisition of a PET scanner, Craik and many of his colleagues looked at the brain correlates involved in encoding and retrieving processes in memory. A large portion of this research was possible because of the conception of the Rotman Research Institute at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in northern Toronto – an institution that Craik helped conceive.[4]
In June 2000, he retired from the University of Toronto and gained emeritus status. He is currently continuing to pursue his research interests as a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, investigating various linkages between memory, attention, and cognitive aging.[6]
Research
Levels-of-Processing Paradigm
The most well-known and notable of Craiks’ research analyzed how memory is encoded and various levels of depths of processing. Craik and Lockhart postulated that during the first stage of memory where information is acquired, the encoding stage, there is a series of processing hierarchies. During the initial phase of encoding, an individual experiences "shallow" processing and may reach into the deepest level. Memory traces form as a result of these processes, containing coding characteristics and persistence in memory. A deeper depth of processing implies that a greater amount of semantic or cognitive analysis must be conducted. Therefore, a stimulus that has undergone a deep level of processing will have a longer, more durable storage and retention.[7]
The controversy this paradigm caused at the time, when compared to the
Brain Correlates and Memory
With the use of functional imaging, in recent times, Craik is looking at how encoding and processing tasks in memory is activated in the brain.
Multiple studies have now shown that deep semantic processing, the most beneficial type of processing, is associated with neural activity in the ventral regions within the left prefrontal cortex.[8] The role of the prefrontal cortex shows that deeper-level encoding is self-generated and strategic process that would not be able to progress without this highly developed region. In the case of retrieval, bilateral prefrontal activation is used instead of just one side. Craik's research also highlighted posterior cortical regions as the area responsible for lower level processing.
Age-Related Memory Changes
The ways in which memory changes over the adult lifespan is also a source for Craik's latest research. In this case, age is looked at as a factor that alters and degrades memory efficiency and abilities over time. Age-related memory problems become more persistent in the elderly years, and one's ability to recall previously encoded stimuli without cues or context is no longer optimal. However, verbal or visual stimuli can be recognized at the same level of efficiency over the course of a lifetime. Craik and his colleagues found physiological evidence for this cognitive degradation through their research into the brains of elderly participants. Specifically, they discovered that there is a reduction in frontal activity.[9] Still, there is an increased level of activity in the left prefrontal cortex when older adults undergo some nonverbal tasks of retrieval when compared to younger individuals. Moreover, the presence of increased left prefrontal cortex activity is only found in tasks revolving retrieval but there is still a reduction when performing encoding tasks.
It is currently hypothesized that these higher outputs of activity may be necessary for older people to perform sufficiently.[10]
Age-related memory changes are also observed under the influence of physical activity and long-last mental activities such as Sudoku or lifelong bilingualism. These associations are currently being documented to better understand these effects in a systematic manner and delve into the brain and neural correlates associated with these variations.[8]
Awards and distinctions
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Fellow of the Royal Society (UK)
- Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association
- Fellow of the American Psychological Association
- Fellow of the Society of Experimental Psychology
- Killam Research Fellowship (1982)
- Guggenheim Fellowship (1982)
- Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Science award (1987) from the CPA
- William James Fellow Award (1991) from the APA
- Honorary President of the CPA (1997)
- Glassman Chair in Neuropsychology at the University of Toronto and Baycrest Centre (1996–2000)
- Hebb Award from the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science (1998)
- Killam Prize for Science (2000)[4]
- Dr honoris causa, Université de Bordeaux, France (2006)
- Dr honoris causa, Saarland University, Germany (2013)
References
- ^ Association for Psychological Science: William James Fellow Award - Fergus I.M. Craik. (n.d.). Retrieved 29 March 2015, from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/awards/james/citations/craik.cfm Archived 21 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ U of T professor emeritus Fergus Craik elected to the Royal Society. (2008, 16 May). Retrieved 28 March 2015, from http://news.utoronto.ca/u-t-professor-emeritus-fergus-craik-elected-royal-society
- ^ Dr. Fergus Craik - Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved 29 March 2015, from http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/GCPWS/Craik/Biography/Craik_bio1.html
- ^ a b c d e f g Naveh-Benjamin, M., Moscovitch, M. and Roediger, H. L. III. (2001). Perspectives of human memory and cognitive aging, New York: Psychology Press.
- ^ Craik, F. I. M. & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 104(3), 268-294.
- ^ In Honor Of... Fergus Craik. (n.d.). Retrieved 29 March 2015, from http://www.fabbs.org/fabbs-foundation/honoring-our-scientists/in-honor-of-fergus-craik/
- ^ Craik, F. I. M. & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11(6), 671-684.
- ^ a b Craik, F. I. M. (n.d.). Research | Baycrest. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://research.baycrest.org/fcraik
- ^ Grady, C. L., McIntosh, A. R., Rajah, M.N., Craik, F.I.M. (2008). Neural correlates of the episodic encoding of pictures and words. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 95, 2703–2708.
- ^ Grady, C. L. & Craik, F. I. M. (2000). Changes in memory processing with age. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 10, 224-231.