minnesföring

Minnesföring is a term used in Swedish cognitive science and technology to describe the practice of recording, preserving, and transferring memories. It covers a range of contexts, from psychological methods that aid memory retrieval and rehabilitation to neurotechnological approaches that aim to augment memory and to computational models that simulate memory processes. The term is etymologically composed of minne, memory, and föring, carrying or transfer, reflecting the sense of moving memory traces between states or substrates.

In educational and clinical settings, minnesföring can refer to retrieval strategies such as spaced repetition and retrieval practice, which help stabilize memories and improve long-term retention. In neuromodulation or neural-interface research, it can describe techniques that read or write memory traces in neural tissue, aiming to restore memory after injury or decline, or to create augmented memories in experimental contexts. In artificial intelligence and cognitive science, minnesföring can denote data structures and algorithms that model memory systems, including episodic and semantic memory analogs, and the transfer of information between modules or systems.

Ethical and social questions surround minnesföring, including concerns about privacy, authenticity of memories, consent for memory manipulation, and potential disparities in access to memory-enhancing technologies. Ongoing research debates consider the reliability of memory transfer, the risk of manipulation, and the long-term effects on identity and agency.