science

Recall Mechanism

Recall Mechanism is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Recall Mechanism rather than just read about it. In short: "Recall Mechanism" is a science fiction short story by American author Philip K. Dick, first published in 1959 and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K.

Key takeaways

Recall Mechanism belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Recall Mechanism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Recall Mechanism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

"Recall Mechanism" is a science fiction short story by American author Philip K. Dick, first published in 1959 and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. IV, The Days of Perky Pat (1987).

Synopsis The story is written in a post-apocalyptic world and begins with a psychologist, who is known as an "Analyst" in the story, called Humphreys. He is analysing one of his patients, Paul Sharp, who has a phobia of falling and suffers bouts of this fear brought on by simply standing on a small step. Humphreys decides to delve into Sharp's sub-conscious through a hypnotic method of placing a lamp over him. Sharp, on more than one occasion, falls into a dream-like scenario, revealing what he believes has happened to him in the past, thus enabling Humphreys to understand the origin of his fear. Sharp goes on to mention someone called Giller, whom he believes he knew in the past. At the end, Humphreys prescribes Sharp with medication and lets him go home, but then he makes a phone call to the Special Talents Agency, in which he asks for someone from the Medical Staff. Humphreys reveals to them that his patient may be a "Precog", but after telling them that Sharp was born before the war, the Special Talents Agency disregards Sharp as useless because he "didn't really get enough of a dose." As Humphreys pleads with them to help, he reveals that Sharp will be dead within months. And so the sub-conscious thoughts were really visions of the future, brought on in the form of fear. The "Precog" being a precognition, or premonition, as these people have become a valuable psychic from the aftermath of a nuclear war. The story ends in another Analyst's office, Dr. Bamberg, in which the aforementioned Giller is seeking the help. Giller tells Bamberg that he is attracted to high places, but has the terrible compulsion to push people off.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Recall Mechanism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Recall Mechanism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Recall Mechanism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Recall Mechanism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Recall Mechanism

In research: Recall Mechanism appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Recall Mechanism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Recall Mechanism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950s science fiction short story stubs, 1959 short stories, Fiction about psychotherapy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Recall Mechanism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Recall Mechanism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Recall Mechanism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Recall Mechanism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Recall Mechanism in simple terms?

"Recall Mechanism" is a science fiction short story by American author Philip K. Dick, first published in 1959 and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K.

Why does Recall Mechanism matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Recall Mechanism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Recall Mechanism.