One of the concepts that was taken up in class has something to do with memory. The class learned how important memory is in everyday activities, as it gives people the ability to recall facts, recognize faces, make inferences, and know how or when to do things. It is critical in all cognitive processes, which is why it is important for people to know what memory is, as it is used in the everyday activities of humans, even when they are asleep.
Part 1: Principle
Memory is defined as “a diverse set of cognitive capacities by which we retain information and reconstruct past experiences, usually for present purposes” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 1). It refers to the capacity of humans to remember specific episodes that are long-gone and yet, appear to be so alive within the mind. It is a source of knowledge and differs from the principle of perception, since memory allows the mind to remember events that are not currently taking place. Memory can either be short-term, long-term, or sensory store, and it is formed and accessed through the process of encoding in the brain, wherein things and events are being stored into memory. They are retrieved at a later time, although how long it is being stored in memory would depend on the range of attention being given to it. In sensory story, there is the tendency to lose the encrypted data if there is less attention being given. In short-term memory, there is a limit to how long the encrypted data stays within the memory storage, especially if the person is not actively rehearsing. In long-term memory, however, the facts are stored and accessed consciously, especially if the facts are organized or related, making way for long-term memory to take place in the brain.
Part 2: Materials / Procedure
In order to make a Classic Macaroni Salad, one has to have some materials used in mixing the ingredients, such as a mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, knives, grater, rinsing cup, and most especially the cooking bowl. To make the macaroni salad, put lightly salted water into a cooking bowl and bring to a boil. Put 4 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni into it for about 8 minutes. Rinse it in cold water and then drain using a rinsing cup and set aside. In a mixing bowl mix together 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup white sugar, 2 ½ tablespoons of yellow mustard, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 large chopped onion, 2 stalks of celery chopped, ¼ cup grated carrot, and 2 tablespoons of pimento peppers chopped. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
Part 3: Application of Principle
I used long-term memory when I created the design of the learning materials and procedure. I made this design choice because I remembered it well based on the memory I had had when my mother and I made the Classic Macaroni Salad many times in the past. This principle predicts that I have the capacity to retrieve information from my non-declarative (implicit) long-term memory, specifically my procedural memory, which talks of how to make a Classic Macaroni Salad based on the cooking procedure of my mother. This comes from my habit and skills memory, from which I remember how to do things. I realize, however, that this memory tend to be flexible and open to changes, as influenced by the context, the mood, or personal memory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The Varieties of Remembering). This memory is also flexible to changes, as influenced by how others do it using different ingredients or procedure. Meanwhile, I used propositional memory in semantically retrieving the information that the elbow macaroni should not be left too long after they boil, since it would make it too tender and dull. I was able to retrieve from my recollective memory, and remembered how my mother made her salad since I was a child.
Part 4: Evidence to Support Design
According to the classic research done by R.M. Shiffrin and R.C. Atkinson in 1969, they were able to identify that in long-term storage and memory, the process of storage and retrieval appears to have many features in common. This includes the processes of transfer, placement, and image-production. In the transfer mechanism, the brain storage decides “what to store, when to store, and how to store information in long-term memory” (Shiffrin and Atkinson 182). In the placement mechanism, it identifies the location of storage to where the information will be collected and stored. Lastly, in the image-production mechanism, it determines “what proportion of the current ensemble of information in short-term storage will be placed in the designated long-term storage location” (Shiffrin and Atkinson 182-183). All these mechanisms were used during the time of memory storage in the past years, which made it possible for me to retrieve the information as part of my long-term memory.
Part 5: Evidence to Refute Design
One of the theories that suggests how things might not go the way people expect, would be the interference theory, which assumes that “the ability to remember can be disrupted by what we have previously learned or by future learning” (Eysenck and Keane 243). By this, both proactive and retroactive interferences can influence on how the data is stored in the memory, so learning new ways of making the macaroni salad can lead a person to forget the other methods of making it, with a wide range of ingredients that can be used. This can lead to problems in the retrieval of data, and can lead to the formation of bias or habit. This is why experiments have shown that practice is essential in retrieving to-be-remembered information, as it enhances long-term memory to be stored through repetition (Eysenck and Keane 241). This is one of the reasons why my mother and I chose to make the Classic Macaroni Salad for many times, so I would remember how to make it years after those times when I watched my mother make her delicious, personalized macaroni salad.
Part 6: Conclusion
Sleep is said to have a critical role in the formation of memory (Rasch and Born 683). During the sub-processes of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval, it is the sleeping brain that provides the conditions, so that the newly-encoded memory integrates into long-term storage. Sleep greatly reduces the brain processing of external information, so that they can be consolidated into memories by encoding it from the fast learning store of the hippocampus to the slow learning store of the neo-cortex (Rasch and Born 684). It is during sleep that new memories are being reactivated and gradually strengthened, which turns the new information to pre-existing long-term memories. By then, people are able to retrieve again the information at a later date, with the use of the recollective memory in the human brain. This makes it possible for humans to store and retrieve again the new information, and with the use memory, recall the procedure of how to do something like that of a macaroni salad.
Works Cited:
Eysenck, Michael W., and Mark Keane. Cognitive Psychology: A Student’s Handbook (7th edition). New York, NY: Psychology Press, 2015.
Rasch, Bjorn, and Jan Born. “About Sleep’s Role in Memory.” Physiology Review 93.1 (2013): 681-766.
Shiffrin, R.M., and R.C. Atkinson. “Storage and Retrieval Processes in Long-term Memory.” Psychological Review 76.2 (1969): 179-193. Print.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Memory. 3 Feb.2010. Web. 19 Mar.2016.
