We have the ability to form two different types of long-lasting memories. First, we can learn to perform certain actions, such as talking, riding a bike, or playing a musical instrument, and we will remember how to do these things forever. We learn these actions in a way that lets us unconsciously repeat them, meaning that we can perform these actions without needing to think about them to remember them. However, other types of memories require something called intentional recall. This means that we need to think about these things to remember them. Examples of this form of memory are things like our first-grade teacher's name, the meaning of words, or the street where we were attacked by a dog.
In our laboratory, we study the kind of memories that we can intentionally recall. In our everyday lives, we very often form this type of memory by a process called association. Learning by association was first studied by a Russian scientist named Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov played a clicking sound to hungry dogs before feeding them meat.

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