The Need for an Explanation of Human Memory Discuss the need for an explanation of human memory, which proposes that memory is a set of stages, rather than a single process. This essay is going to discuss the need for an explanation of human memory, which proposes that memory is a set of stages rather than a single process. Flanagan (1997) defines memory as "the mental function of retaining data, the storage system holding the data, and the data which is retained." It is evident from reviewing the literature that an explanation of memory as a set of stages proves to be more understandable than as a single process, the theories of memory all providing information about how memory is structured and organised and the findings from the research studies inevitably pointing in the direction of memory existing as a set of stages rather than a single process. Therefore these are the areas which are to be outlined in this essay in order to understand the need to explain human memory as a set of stages. The nature of memory can be explained as a set of stages that are necessary but not sufficient for memory to have taken place. These involve "input" -registering or encoding information, where a memory trace is formed from translating the sensory data, "storage" which is either temporary or permanent and "output" which involves retrieval - memories would be useless unless they could be retrieved. It is these stages that form the fundamental characteristics of the process of memory and in order for this to occur it is necessary for the data to become engaged in the memory structure. Memory structure can be separated into three distinct categories, sensory memory (input store) where the sensory data remains unchanged in the mind fo... ... middle of paper ... ...need for an explanation based on stages. In conclusion, the question posed was to "discuss the need for an explanation of human memory, which proposes that memory is a set of stages, rather than a single process". When trying to discuss this need it became apparent that the fact that memory is not a concrete article made it all the more important that it was explained as a set of stages. This may be because as a set of stages, the complex structure of memory is all the more understandable and the theories of memory put together a "story" of how the memory process may work. However, most if not all theories or models describe rather than explain the memory process (providing a guideline) therefore the empirical evidence is really the only key in explaining why memory is a set of stages rather than a single process and it is from these that the " need " is derived.
Memory is an important and active system that receives information. Memory is made up of three different stages sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory. According to the power point presentation, sensory memory refers to short storage of memory that allows an individual to process information as it occurs. Short term memory refers to memory that is only available for a limited time. It is information that is held for seconds or sometimes even minutes. Long term memory refers to memory that is stored for a long period of time and it has an unlimited capacity with the ability to hold as much information as possible. Retrieval is key and it allows individuals to have memories. Episodic memory refers to memory for events that we
The second stage of memory processing is storage. Aronson et al. (2013) defines storage as the process by which people store the information they just acquired. Unfortunately, memories are affected by incoming information through alteration or reconstruction. This phenomenon is referred to as recon...
Human memory is flexible and prone to suggestion. “Human memory, while remarkable in many ways, does not operate like a video camera” (Walker, 2013). In fact, human memory is quite the opposite of a video camera; it can be greatly influenced and even often distorted by interactions with its surroundings (Walker, 2013). Memory is separated into three different phases. The first phase is acquisition, which is when information is first entered into memory or the perception of an event (Samaha, 2011). The next phase is retention. Retention is the process of storing information during the period of time between the event and the recollection of a piece of information from that event (Samaha, 2011). The last stage is retrieval. Retrieval is recalling stored information about an event with the purpose of making an identification of a person in that event (Samaha, 2011).
The cognitive level of analysis focuses on how mental processes such as perception, language, memory and attention influence human behaviour. Memory is an active information-processing system that receives, organises, stores and recovers information. Recall can be defined as the action or ability to remember something that was learned or experienced. Cued (or contextual based) recall refers to the way information is presented, or the situation in which information is encoded and retrieved, then recalled when the same context is presented (McLeod, 2008). Evidence on this method of memory recall indicates that retrieval is more likely when the context at encoding matches the context at retrieval.
Craik and Lockhart (1972), proposed a 'conceptual framework of memory', which accentuates the importance at which levels of new information is processed. They further emphasised that the 'depth' in which we process information whilst learning it determines how it is stored in LTM. According to Craik and Lockhart (1972), memories and information are processed better in LTM if they're semantically encoded, processed and stored. If meaning (semantic) is processed during learning then the information is more likely to be stored in LTM, in contrary to if there is no meaning added during the process. More so, for the information that is stored in our memory, there is a continuum that illustrates
Atkinson, R.C. & Shiffrin, R.M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control process.
"Memory is the diary we all carry about with us," Oscar Wilde once said. Now for a second imagine a life without any memories! One wouldn't be able to remember his/her name, how to look after themselves or to even recognize their own friends and family. It would be impossible to live happily without ones memories. That is why our memories are such vital points in our lives. They are the building blocks of our current selves. Due to those reasons it is very useful to find as much information regarding it as possible. For that very purpose this research paper has been written. The purpose of this research is to uncover the truth regarding how the human brain stores and retrieve memories. Throughout this research, topics such as definition of memory, types of memory, diseases resulting in difficulties with memory, as well as the most known phenomena déjàvu which is caused by a certain type of memory process will be discussed.
The main functional division among memories is between so-called ""declarative" and "procedural" memories. The former consists of what are termed "episodic" or "semantic" memories. Declarative memories are formed by events, and are brought back in specific contexts and with distinct meanings. "Procedural Memories," on the other hand, include cla...
Memory is the tool we use to learn and think. We all use memory in our everyday lives. Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. We all reassure ourselves that our memories are accurate and precise. Many people believe that they would be able to remember anything from the event and the different features of the situation. Yet, people don’t realize the fact that the more you think about a situation the more likely the story will change. Our memories are not a camcorder or a camera. Our memory tends to be very selective and reconstructive.
How can you be satisfied without remembering the significant memories in life? Memory is the way we function through our day-to-day lives. Without memory we wouldn’t be here today, it is something that you develop to learn overtime. Memory is fascinating and can function and improve in many ways. It is astonishing how we can remember a certain taste, smell, sounds, and objects over a long and short period of time. The memory is very complex and consists of many components. In this essay I will be informing you on how the human memory is critical in our everyday lives.
Memory can be declarative or procedural. A declarative memory would be concerned with the experiences and facts, while a procedural memory is related to skills. A declarative memory is further classified into episodic memory and semantic memory. An episodic memory is based on awareness of a previous experience in a particular situation at a particular time. It develops throughout childhood. A semantic memory is concerned with the factual knowledge about the world (Tulving 1983,1993,2002). The article initially explains the cognitive neuroscience of the development of the episodic memory formation. Behavioral evidence indicates an episodic memory emerges from childhood through adulthood. Developments in cognitive functions such as speed of
Many people thought memory as one thing, either they would remember things or forget about them (AUTHOR, 269, PAGE NUMBER).
Before going into depth of studying, we need to understand what the human memory is. The human memory is a system involved in the process of maintaining and processing of information over time (Matlin, 2005). The human memory is active, whereby it has the ability to receive, to process, store, change, organize and recall information (Coon & Mitterer, 2012). Without memory, we would not be able to remember what we have done in the past, nor how to operate in the present or future. Therefore, when it comes to developing an ideal study method, memory plays the most important role.
Memory is a fundamental component of daily life. We rely on it so heavily, that life without memory would be close to impossible. Our very survival depends on our ability to remember who we are, who others are, and our past experiences. Memory allows us to remember our family vacation from when we were a kid, directions on how to get to the grocery store, or who the first president of the United States was. Psychologists define memory as “the process by which we encode, store, and retrieve information” (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Encoding can be compared to a computer’s keyboard, because it is the initial process in which information is recorded in a usable form (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Storage is similar to a computer’s hard drive, because it is the maintenance of material for future use (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Lastly, retrieval can be compared to a computer’s software, because it is the location and recovery of stored information (Feldman, 2015, p. 205).
Throughout this course, I’ve learned about numerous different concepts and ideas involving the field of psychology, but the area I took the most interest in was the involvement of memory in psychology. During this course, I’ve learned that our memories are what identifies us during our youth and when we reach full adulthood and without those memories, we are lost as to who we are, and the history that defines us as well. I also learned something very interesting, those memories that leave an everlasting footprint in our minds can also assist us memorizing new content as well. The concept associated with this theory is called “The Memory Palace” or the “The Method of Loci”.