The Productivity and Effectiveness of Memory

Memory can be an extremely broad spectrum to discuss. Matlin (2005) defines memory as the process of maintaining information over time (McLeod, S. A., 2007). This essay will focus specifically on encoding. The productivity and effectiveness of memory primarily depends on the processes of attaining, storing and retrieving information. This essay will further investigate the ability of students to encode information through various encoding strategies, and how effective these methods are in storing and retrieving the information.

Encoding is a process that involves storage and retrieval. Encoding is the process of obtaining information and shifting it into long-term memory. Encoding, storage and retrieval are often regarded as sequential stages. In order for information to be stored in memory, it needs to be encoded, and in order to remember this information over a long period of time, it needs to be transferred from short term memory storage to long term memory storage (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012;2009, p.230).

Craik and Lockhart (1972) suggest that information is processed at different levels (Craik & Tulving, 1975). This gave rise to the levels of processing theory. According to this theory, depth of processing is determined by the nature of the task during encoding (Goldstein, 2011). Encoding may occur in shallow, intermediate, and deep levels. Shallow processing is simply structural, it involves little attention to meaning and rather focuses on physical features. Shallow processing involves maintenance rehearsal, this is a form of repeating and rehearsing information and temporarily storing it in short term memory (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012; 2009). Intermediate processing is phonemic, where a stimuli given a label. Deep p...

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