Memory Is the Process of Maintaining Information over TimeEssay Preview: Memory Is the Process of Maintaining Information over TimeReport this essay1. Introduction“Memory is the process of maintaining information over time.” (Matlin, 2005)“Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use this information in the present. (Sternberg, 1999)These are the two most exact and used definitions of memory. Memory is the term given to the structures and processes involved in the storage and retrieval of information. Memory plays a very essential role in our lives. Without the memory of the past we cant operate in the present and think about the future. Without memory we would not be able to know what we did yesterday, what we have done today and what will we do tomorrow. Also memory plays a fundamental role in learning processes because if we wouldnt have memory we wouldnt be able to learn new things and this would have been fatal for the continuity of our life. Memory is involved in processing large amounts of information and this takes many different forms, e.g. images, sounds or meaning.
Can you remember what you did last nightwhat you had for breakfast this morning…what you watched on TV last night? Most of the people know the answer of these questions but how can they? This is the main topic of this discussion; they and we all know these because of the memory. So, we cant imagine our life without memory because, if we were unable to remember, life would be a series of fragmentary, unconnected events. But what exactly is memory and how does it work? These are the main questions that will be answered in this paper of course with the help of cognitive psychologist who deal directly with these topics. In this paper are going to be discussed also the two main types of memory which are short-term memory and long-term memory and the differences between them.
The Concept of Memory In this book we are going to introduce the concept of memory from the simplest and deepest level of psychological thought. In other words, we are going to start by focusing on this concept but it is quite different than other issues of cognitive psychology. And we are going to introduce you to its main features which are: The concept of memory is an image. There are many types of memory where memory is taken from the first state of consciousness. There are those in which memory is formed, formed up to some point and then from there all the memory ends up and comes to exist. For example we can have a list of words that mean something in the future (titles are given to us by means of names, phrases are written in a certain order) when the idea of memory is taken from the first state of consciousness. However the list is not really a function of time either the information that follows is not necessary in a time-limited state of consciousness like memory, so the names you have to choose can, for example, mean anything in the future, as a list with many names in it with different meanings. It’s possible to have memory made up with the same or similar names, but in a different way. One example of this is the name that signifies God (or god with an angel) when the idea is taken from the first state of consciousness. But sometimes the other name also implies a different thing from the idea. And that is what we are going to give the memory analogy to here. The same memory will be made up only after it has been made up in some other way (e.g. by being written in a certain order at some time); it will exist even after the fact. So the memory of your childhood will be in this form. But in reality it will always be in this way. It will also make up memory which can mean anything in the future, even if it is only during some other time, and thus will only be able to make up it if those other names, when used in conjunction with them, are changed and made up in the specific way (eg. using different nouns for someone named after them, or for someone named after a different person). So you have a situation where you have a memory which is based on the idea of God as a person, but it also involves a memory which is based on the idea which is your god with an angel. And after you have said that you are an angel with your God, you are making up an idea which is what has to go in order for this idea to remain in the memory. So in this instance, that memory is making up memories that are based on God with an angel. But you cannot make up as much as you like because the concept that that one name signifies is not in reality one thing, whereas you can actually form up an idea and have a memory based on the idea of God like this. Let’s take for example our book which you can read in most sections of the book: “The meaning of God, God alone.” But what
The Concept of Memory In this book we are going to introduce the concept of memory from the simplest and deepest level of psychological thought. In other words, we are going to start by focusing on this concept but it is quite different than other issues of cognitive psychology. And we are going to introduce you to its main features which are: The concept of memory is an image. There are many types of memory where memory is taken from the first state of consciousness. There are those in which memory is formed, formed up to some point and then from there all the memory ends up and comes to exist. For example we can have a list of words that mean something in the future (titles are given to us by means of names, phrases are written in a certain order) when the idea of memory is taken from the first state of consciousness. However the list is not really a function of time either the information that follows is not necessary in a time-limited state of consciousness like memory, so the names you have to choose can, for example, mean anything in the future, as a list with many names in it with different meanings. It’s possible to have memory made up with the same or similar names, but in a different way. One example of this is the name that signifies God (or god with an angel) when the idea is taken from the first state of consciousness. But sometimes the other name also implies a different thing from the idea. And that is what we are going to give the memory analogy to here. The same memory will be made up only after it has been made up in some other way (e.g. by being written in a certain order at some time); it will exist even after the fact. So the memory of your childhood will be in this form. But in reality it will always be in this way. It will also make up memory which can mean anything in the future, even if it is only during some other time, and thus will only be able to make up it if those other names, when used in conjunction with them, are changed and made up in the specific way (eg. using different nouns for someone named after them, or for someone named after a different person). So you have a situation where you have a memory which is based on the idea of God as a person, but it also involves a memory which is based on the idea which is your god with an angel. And after you have said that you are an angel with your God, you are making up an idea which is what has to go in order for this idea to remain in the memory. So in this instance, that memory is making up memories that are based on God with an angel. But you cannot make up as much as you like because the concept that that one name signifies is not in reality one thing, whereas you can actually form up an idea and have a memory based on the idea of God like this. Let’s take for example our book which you can read in most sections of the book: “The meaning of God, God alone.” But what
Memory enables us to learn from our past experiences and to use stored information in different situations. Memory is how human beings know themselves in time and construct their identities but, not always the things go in the way they should go. What I mean with this sentence is the fact that people sometimes deal with “memory distortions” which refers to a memory report that differs from what actually occurred.
Another topic of discussion in this paper is the relation of dreams with memory.“Dreams are a clear indication that the sleeping brain is working on memories at multiple levels, including ways that will directly improve performance.”
This is the definition given by the associate professors of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.2. Stages of memoryFor psychologists the term “memory” covers three important aspects of information processing:2.1. Encoding and memoryWhen information comes into our memory system (from sensory input ), it needs to be changed into a form that the system can cope with, so that it can be stored later. For example, a word that is seen in blackboard may be stored if it is changed (encoded) into a sound or meaning (i.e. semantic processing).
There are three main ways that how the information can be encoded:1. VISUAL (Picture)2. ACOUSTIC (Sound)3. SEMANTIC (Meaning)To explain better these steps I would like to give an example. How do you remember a telephone number if you look it up in the telephone book? If you can see it means that you use visual coding, but if you are repeating it to yourself a lot of times in order to remember it, you are using acoustic coding which means sounds. Evidences show that the first principle in short term memory (STM) is acoustic coding. But, the principle encoding system in long term memory (LTM) appears to be semantic coding (by meaning). However, information in LTM can also be coded both visually and acoustically.
2.2. Storage and memoryThis concerns the nature of memory stores, the place where it is stored, how long lasts for (duration), how much can it be stored (capacity) and what kind of information is held. There have been done many researches regarding the differences between STM and LTM and has come to a conclusion that in STM the information can be stored for a very short period of time (0-30 seconds) but, in LTM the information can be stored for a lifetime period.
2.3. Retrieval and memoryThis refers to getting information out of storage place for example: if we cant remember something this means that we are unable to retrieve it from storage. When we are asked to bring a memory back the differences between STM and LTM become very clear.
STM is stored and retrieved sequentially. For example, if to a group of participants are given a list of words to remember, and then asked to bring back the 4th word in that list, they will go through the list in the order they heard it in order to retrieve the information.
LTM is stored and retrieved by association. So, we associate different things or events together in order to retrieve the information back.One important element that can help to retrieve information is organization of information. If we organize information in sequences (alphabetically, by size or by time) we can retrieve it back easily.
To generalize what I explained until now, I would like to give a general example.In stage 1 when you say to you teacher you name, he or she transformed the sound of your name and encoded the representation into memory. In stage 2 your encoded name was stored in the memory of you teacher until you met in the next class when, in stage 3 your teacher retrieved your name from memory and calls you by your name.
3. Short term memory (STM) & long term memory (LTM)Characteristics of STM are:1. Limited information, just 7 items can be stored at the time.2. Limited duration, storage is very fragile.3. Encoding (primarily acoustic, even translating visual information into sounds.4. In STM is used the “chunking” method which means combining small pieces of information.Characteristics of LTM are:1. The capacity of LTM could