“Excuse me. That’s the judge standing there”: Engaging with Physical Objects in the Here-and-Now

In this chapter, we explore the ways in which individuals with dementia talk alone or with others about physical objects in the here-and-now. As important background, we first situate the examination of such interactions within what is called ‘working memory’ (Baddeley, Working memory, thought, and action. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007; Current Biology, 20(4), R136–R140, 2010; Squire, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 82(3), 171–177, 2004; Eichenbaum, The cognitive neuroscience of memory (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). We then examine this phenomenon within primarily monologic stream-of-consciousness talk centered on the activity of polishing eyeglasses; within dyadic conversations centered on objects located in assisted living apartments; and within multiparty gallery tours that focus on works of art.