Memory
What is Memory?
Memory is the psychological processes of acquiring, preserving, maintaining, and then retrieving knowledge. The three main functions of memory are encoding, storage and retrieval.
Encoding
The process of absorbing information and converting it into a format that the brain can retain and access later is known as encoding, and it is the initial step in the development of memories. In simple terms, it's the process by which data enters our memory system.
Think of it this way: encoding is to memory what typing is to computer document storing. Your computer (or brain) won't have anything to save or retrieve later if you enter it incorrectly. Here are the 3 types of encoding:
1. Visual encoding is the information that is stored based on appearances, such as a picture or a face.
2. Acoustic encoding is the process of storing data according to its auditory characteristics, such as a song or a person's voice.
3. Semantic encoding is the process of storing data according to its meaning, such as understanding and remembering a concept or the main idea of something.
Storage
It has three main stages:
1. Sensory memory = what you see.
Sensory information from the surroundings is kept for a brief period of time during this stage, usually no more than three or four seconds for auditory information and half a second for visual information. For example, Seeing a flash of lightning and momentarily holding the image in your mind.
2. Short-term memory / Working memory = also associated with consciousness.
It is the knowledge we are actively aware of or processing is called short-term memory. This memory is known as the conscious mind in Freudian psychology. Information is created in short-term memory by paying attention to sensory memories. For example, remembering a phone number just long enough to be able to dial it.
3. Long-term memory (LTM) = what you carry away with you.
LTM is refered to as the information that is continuously stored. In Freudian psychology, it is known to as the preconscious and unconscious because it has the potential to store information for long periods—facts, experiences, skills, etc. For example, remembering how to ride a bike or how to get home. Here's a short list of how to get things into your LTM:
- Depth of processing = the deeper you think about something, the more sense you try to add to it, the easier it is to remember.
- Mnemonics = sort of tricks that make a word bigger, that give it more connections. So, you might turn it into a rhyme.
- Visual imagery
Retrieval
When it comes to memory, retrieval is the process of bringing previously stored information into consciousness when needed. Whether it's remembering a friend's name, identifying a familiar face, or applying previously taught information to solve a problem, it's basically the act of remembering. It has 3 categories:
1. Recall is the ability to retrieve knowledge without major help from outside sources, such as completing essay questions or remembering phone numbers.
2. Recognition (when information is provided), is the ability to identify it as familiar (e.g., recognising the correct answer in a multiple-choice test).
3. Relearning is the process of relearning previously learned but lost information. The second time is frequently faster, indicating that some memory traces are still there.
The Impediments of Remembering
Definitions:
Consolidation = process by which a memory trace is stabilised and transformed into a more durable form.
Declarative memory = conscious memories for facts and events.
Anterograde amnesia = inability to form new memories for facts and events after the onset of amnesia.
Dissociative amnesia = loss of autobiographical memories from a period in the past in the absence of brain injury or disease.
Retrograde amnesia = inability to retrieve memories for facts and events acquired before the onset of amnesia.
