The Structure and Organization of Memory

ly, so that it is sometimes difficult to appreciate what would count for or against it. A difficulty with the systems view is that the definition of the term is uncertain, and it is not always clear from studies of normal subjects when behavioral findings justify postulating a separate memory sys­ tem. The concept of brain systems, while not entirely free of problems itself, provides a more concrete and in the end a more satisfying basis for thinking about memory systems. This is because a long tradition of anatomical and physiological work on the structure and organization of the brain has con­ cerned itself with the identification and study of separable neural systems, sometimes independently of or in advance of any understanding of their func­ tional significance.