The Use of Memory

The Use of Memory

Memory is the vital tool in learning and thinking . We all use memory in

our everyday lives. Think about the first time you ever tied your shoe laces or

rode a bike; those are all forms of memory , long term or short. If you do not

remember anything from the past , you would never learn; thus unable to process.

Without memory you would simply be exposed to new and unfamiliar things . Life

would be absent and bare of the richness of it happy or sorrow. Many scientists

are still unsure of all that happens and what and how memory works. They are

certain , though , that it is involvement of chemical changes in the brain which

changes the physical structure (Loftus p. 392). It has been found after many

research , that new memory is stored in a section of the brain called the

hippocampus (Loftus p. 392). Memory is acquired by a series of solidifying

events , but more research is still needed to discover and fully understand

(Loftus p. 392).

Memory is broken down into three systems or categories . These different

systems are sensory memory , short-term , and long-term memory. Sensory memory

is the shortest and less extensive of the others. It can hold memory for only an

instance (Memory p. 32). Suppose you see a tree , the image of the tree is

briefly held by the sensory memory and quickly disappears unless you transfer it

to your short-term memory (Rhodes p. 130). The next level is called short-term

memory. The image or fact can be held as long as the brain is actively thinking

about it (Loftus p. 392). For example , if you look up a number in the phone

book and repeat it to yourself until you dial it , that is a form of short-term

memory. Short-term memory lasts roughly half a minute unless it is transferred

to long-term memory . Long-term memory is the last and final stage of memory .

It is so large and limitless it can hold nearly anything (Loftus p. 392). Long-

term memory can hold something that is only a few moments old to many , many

years.

Memory can be measured in three ways . These techniques include recall,

recognition, and relearning (Loftus p. 393). Suppose someone asks you who was at

a party . When you try to list everyone you saw , that is known as recall. The

other form is recognition , which contains recall. For example, the person

asking you a list of names. The list contains na...

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people having photographic memory. No one really has a photographic memory , but

there are many people who have eidetic memory (Loftus p. 394). Eidetic memory is

a picture that remains in a person's mind for a few second after the picture has

already disappeared ( Loftus p. 394). People who have this imagery can look at a

scene and describe it , though it is not exactly accurate . It is rare to have

this way of remembering a picture . Scientists say that only about 5 to 10

percent of children have this (Loftus p. 394). Even the children who do have

this lose it as they grow up. A more serious result is called amnesia . This can

result in disease , injury, or emotional shock (Loftus p. 394). Many cases of

amnesia, even more severe ones are usually temporary and do not last very long.

The more severe the injury the greater the loss of memory . Football players and

other sport players have the greatest chance of being affected. Someone who

suffers brain damage from a car accident might lose months of years of memory .

In general , memories are less clear and detailed than perceptions , but

occasionally a remembered image is complete in every detail .