6 - Thinking Processes – Remembering

Mystery and wonder at the workings of the human mind have frequently been stated. If we did not have memory, language would disappear and so would our meaningful communication with others. Without memory, no intellectual functioning is possible. We could not utilize past experiences to improve our current situations. Perhaps the operation of our memory system is better understood with the explanation that memory can be subdivided into three sections:

Sensory Memory:
memory pertaining to the senses such as the smell of a particular flower, the taste of chocolate cake, or the touch of silk

Motor-skill Memory:
memory concerning the remembered response of doing something physical such as walking, skating, riding a bike, or turning a somersault

Verbal Memory:
memory involving everything a person has thought, read, or heard

Retention means something is kept or remembered. It means holding on to what has been learned. Our capacity for retention in sensory and motor-skill memory is extremely powerful.

Unfortunately verbal memory is not as easy to master as the other two and must be approached more diligently. Verbal memory comes in two forms: short term or active and long term. The terms are self-explanatory. Short term memory initially collects and examines data, but long term memory is really the key to learning.

All the information we receive first goes into short term memory where it can be recalled very easily. Because we receive so much information everyday, it can be stored in short term memory for only a brief period of time. Some of that information is successfully coded so it can be transferred to long term memory. Some information that goes into long term memory seems to be forgotten. One explanation is that the information may never have reached long term memory. Another reason is that the right cues may never presented to call up the information that has been stored possibly under a variety of headings in long term memory. Thus, a person’s retrieval skills are weak. Long term memories seem to decay less than short term, but they are more subject to interference and distortion from competing memories.

The likelihood of information getting into long term storage is greater with the smaller the amount of material presented. The more novel it is, the more actively it is rehearsed, and the greater its significance in helping the individual cope with environmental demands. For example, most married couples can clearly remember the moment they became engaged because it has such significance for their lives.

term_memory

Most psychologists agree that memory is of at least three major kinds:

• semantic memory (knowledge and facts, the seat of wisdom when making decisions and judgments)
  It does not decline with age, rather it grows.
• implicit memory (for skills one exercises automatically such as speaking correctly grammatically or hitting a golf ball)
  They are mental activities that occur spontaneously without making an intentional effort; they do not decline either.
• episodic memory (knowledge of specific events)
  It may decline but that could be reversible.

Episodic memory is stable until the person reaches 60 years. At that point it may slowly decline, That may be due to retirement and the fact that people do not usually exercise their mental faculties as much after they stop working. Many people develop strategies that compensate for the decline, such as making lists, leaving things in routine places, or checking memories with others from time to time.

Here are some tips to sharpen your memory:

• Pay attention and be interested in the first phases of learning something.
    Get it right from the start!
• Create links and associations between chunks of material.
    Anchor new data to information you already know.
• Keep your mind challenged with stimulating activity.
    The nerve connections that assist memory grow stronger with use.
• Concentrate on what you really need to remember, and do not try to remember everything.
• Schedule frequent reviews, and go over tricky information that you must know.
• Use helpful memory aids, such as lists or a small notebook.
• Pace yourself when learning so that you are not trying to cover too much data all at once.