Psychology Facts

▼ Memories ▼

》Memory is today defined in psychology as the faculty of encoding, storing, and retrieving information (Squire, 2009). Psychologists have found that memory includes three important categories: sensory, short-term, and long-term.

》How Memories Are Formed
In order to create a new memory, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through a process known as encoding. Once the information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use.
Researchers have long believed that memories form due to changes in brain neurons (nerve cells). Our understanding today is that memories are created through the connections that exist between these neurons—either by strengthening these connections or through the growth of new connections.

》Types of Memory

Sensory memory is the earliest stage of memory. During this stage, sensory information from the environment is stored for a very brief period of time, generally for no longer than a half-second for visual information and three or four seconds for auditory information.
People only pay attention to certain aspects of this sensory memory. Attending to sensory memory allows some of this information to pass into the next stage: short-term memory.

Short-term memory, also known as active memory, is the information we are currently aware of or thinking about. In Freudian psychology, this memory would be referred to as the conscious mind. Paying attention to sensory memories generates information in short-term memory.
While many of our short-term memories are quickly forgotten, attending to this information allows it to continue to the next stage: long-term memory. Most of the information stored in active memory will be kept for approximately 20 to 30 seconds.

Long-term memory refers to the continuing storage of information. In Freudian psychology, long-term memory would be called the preconscious and unconscious.
This information is largely outside of our awareness but can be called into working memory to be used when needed. Some memories are fairly easy to recall, while others are much more difficult to access.

》Using Memory
To use the information that has been encoded into memory, it first has to be retrieved. There are many factors that can influence this process, including the type of information being used and the retrieval cues that are present.

》Research that the human brain starts to remember things from the womb. The memory starts to work just 20 weeks after conception.

》Why Do We Remember Painful Memories?
Have you ever noticed that many times, painful memories tend to hang on for long periods of time? Research suggests that this is because of increased biological arousal during the negative experience, which increases the longevity of that memory.

》Some memories are very brief, just seconds long, and allow people to take in sensory information about the world.

》 Why We Forget
Forgetting is a surprisingly common event. Just consider how easy it is to forget someone's name or overlook an important appointment. Why do people so often forget information they have learned in the past?
There are four basic explanations for why forgetting occurs:

Failure to store a memory
Interference
Motivated forgetting
Retrieval failure

》Research has shown that one of the critical factors that influence memory failure is time. Information is often quickly forgotten, particularly if people do not actively review and rehearse the information.

》Sometimes information is simply lost from memory and, in other cases, it was never stored correctly in the first place. Some memories compete with one another, making it difficult to remember certain information. In other instances, people actively try to forget things that they simply don't want to remember.

》Some memories are capable of enduring much longer—lasting days, weeks, months, or even decades. Most of these long-term memories lie outside of immediate awareness but can be drawn into consciousness when needed.

》The human brain's storage capacity is virtually limitless.

》Memory loss doesn't directly relate to age, rather just how much an individual work out their brain. after all, it is a muscle.

》Have you ever felt like you had the answer to a question just out of your reach, for instance? This is an example of a perplexing memory retrieval issue known as lethologica or the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

》Our memory has the ability to associate a scent with a particular occurrence or event.

》Researchers are starting to understand that human minds can re-invent, distort, exaggerate or create a memory after any traumatic experience or event that affected them greatly.

》Caffeine only helps to increase alertness, it doesn't maintain memory performances.

》Being able to access information quickly (i.e. on the Internet) makes you less likely to remember it

》Testing yourself on information is better than simply rehearsing or re-reading it

》(Almost) Forgetting something makes you more likely to remember it

》How to Improve Memory
No matter how great your memory is, there are probably a few things you can do to make it even better.

Useful strategies to deal with mild memory loss include:

Write it down: The act of writing with a pen and paper helps implant the memory into your brain—and can also serve as a reminder or reference later on.

Attach meaning to it: You can remember something more easily if you attach meaning to it. For instance, if you associate a person you just meet with someone you already know, you may be able to remember their name better.

Repeat it: Repetition helps the memory become encoded beyond your short-term memory.
Group it: Information that is categorized becomes easier to remember and recall.

Test yourself: While it may seem like studying and rehearsing information is the best way to ensure that you will remember it, researchers have found that being tested on information is actually one of the best ways to improve recall.

Take a mental picture: Systematically trying to make a mental note of things you often forget (such as where you left your car keys) can help you remember things better.

Get enough rest: Research has also found that sleep plays a critical role in learning and the formation of new memories.

Use memorization techniques: Rehearsing information, employing mnemonics, and other memorization strategies can help combat minor memory problems.

》To help protect your brain and memory as you age, try some of these lifestyle strategies:

Avoid unnecessary stress: Research has found that stress can have detrimental effects on areas of the brain associated with memory, including the hippocampus.

Avoid drugs, alcohol, and other neurotoxins: Drug use and excessive alcohol consumption have been linked to the deterioration of synapses (the connections between neurons).13 Exposure to dangerous chemicals such as heavy metals and pesticides can also have detrimental effects on the brain.

Get enough exercise: Regular physical activity helps improve oxygenation of the brain, which is vital for synaptic formation and growth.

Stimulate your brain: When it comes to memory, there is a lot of truth to the old adage of "use it or lose it." Researchers have found that people who have more mentally stimulating jobs are less likely to develop dementia.

Maintain a sense of self-efficacy: Having a strong sense of self-efficacy has been associated with maintaining good memory abilities during old age. Self-efficacy refers to the sense of control that people have over their own lives and destiny. A strong sense of self-efficacy has also been linked to lowered stress levels.17