Genetic Memory

• Inspired by Assassin's Creed, deal with it.

"In psychology, genetic memory is a memory present at birth that exists in the absence of sensory experience, and is incorporated into the genome over long spans of time. It is based on the idea that common experiences of a species become incorporated into its genetic code, not by a Lamarckian process that encodes specific memories but by a much vaguer tendency to encode a readiness to respond in certain ways to certain stimuli"

After searching around the internet and not being satisfied, I've come here for answers and discussion. From what I can tell this is a controversial theory. Does anyone have any good sources about this theory? What about studies? What do you think about it?

If you have links to relevant information, I will add them to the original post here, and note who provided them.

edited 7th Jan '11 2:58:31 PM by ViralLamb

From my knowledge it's just a refuted idea, that barely anyone takes seriously.

It's kind of like Psychic Powers: its existence is all but disproven, but it's just too cool a trope to be forgotten.

How do you distinguish genetic memory from instinct? or are they pretty much the same thing?

"Genetic memory" is something that can be modified within one generation, instinct is not.

Well, what's the alternative? How do animals migrate to a location they've never seen, and never been taught how to find. How does an animal recognize its natural enemy and friends if it has no memories to use?

It seems like animals have memories of things they don't.

edited 7th Jan '11 3:01:26 PM by ViralLamb

Instinct is not memory. Memory is knowledge of events that occurred; you don't touch a hot stove perhaps because you remember touching it once and being burned. But you can know things without them being a memory, for example, to breathe. You don't breathe because you remember what it was like not breathing, once, you breathe because it's instinctual.

Breathing, walking, and smelling. Those are all related to the body and are bound to be used. I'm talking about external instincts. How do you know that a certain animal is out to kill you, and another is of no threat, even though you've never seen either in your life. You have no previous memories to tell you as with the "hot stove" example. An animal hatches, and when ready, migrates to where it is supposed to, despite the fact that no one taught him how to get there or where it is.

edited 7th Jan '11 3:09:13 PM by ViralLamb

Because it's instinctual. It doesn't have to be a memory. This◊ looks weird to you not because some ancestor had traumatic memories of being accosted by a hermaphrodite, but instead because you have an instinctual aversion to mutants, which you recognize by their abnormal appearance.

edited 7th Jan '11 3:12:30 PM by Tzetze

What an odd example

Where does instinct come from? It seems you use the word instinct without giving an explanation, and I'm the one providing the explanation, simply under a different word. Its seems to me that genetic memory is the "how" and instinct simply the name.

'Now you're just arguing semantics...'

edited 7th Jan '11 3:24:55 PM by ViralLamb

Neurologically speaking, I'm not sure there's any difference between memory and instinct. They're both simply connections between neurons in the brain, albeit maybe in different regions. Instincts are just neuron connections that are "hard-coded" by the DNA. I don't think you can distinguish between "instinct" and "genetic memory" in a neurological sense and you're left with just defining the two terms arbitrarily.

If there are any neurological specialists here, maybe they can shed more light on this.

edited 7th Jan '11 4:06:07 PM by nightwyrm_zero

Its seems to me that genetic memory is the "how" and instinct simply the name.

Like I said, memories are «recordings» of events. Instinct is not that.

Then what is instinct?

edited 8th Jan '11 4:00:13 PM by ViralLamb

Sounds like you should look into a concept known as a priori knowledge.

I know the concepts, I'm looking for more detail. I'm looking for the "how".

edited 8th Jan '11 4:37:55 PM by ViralLamb

From a basic knowledge of how genetics work and what the field of psychology is concerned with, I can say that genetic memory sounds like woo to me.

Basically, hard-wired reactions.

"Instinct" is an outmoded term. Animals acquire reaction patterns as a result of natural selection. People who are afraid of spiders survive longer and leave more offspring than those who don't. If the propensity to be afraid of spiders is genetic, then it gets passed on to those offspring, and it spreads within the population. It's not a memory of some ancestor who got bitten by a spider, it's a random mutation that made an ancestor be afraid of spiders, and then got passed on due to selection pressures.