We could describe memory as the ability of our brain to not only store but also retrieve the information when needed. The memory could be explained under several different types, and there are also a few categories to the anomalies that could be associated with the human memory. One of the memory types is the Sensory memory which we are going to look into in detail in the following few paragraphs.
Sensory Memory
Any memory before being committed to our brain has to be first picked up by our senses which are our sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. The storage that this memory first goes to is called the sensory storage, and it is the portion of the human memory which retains the information that is sent to it for the shortest time. This is due to the fact that most of the information which are picked up by our senses is immediately forgotten. There is very little that we commit to the short term memory.
The researcher George Sterling demonstrated Sensory memory with the help of an example where he flashed cards with numbers in a grid of three columns and rows and when immediately asked, the participants were able to recall the arrangement of numbers. However, when asked upon lapse of a little time, the participants were able to recall none of the nine letters. This experiment gives proof of not only the existence of sensory memory by also tells us how short of time it is retained for.
It is on the jogging track every morning that I most make not of the sensory memory and the wonders that it holds. I pass a number of people on the track, and once I see a face, I remember it for a second. So once I move on to the next thought and then try to come back to the memory of the same one face, the memory is already gone. And then there is also the example of the sensory memory which I commit to the Short-term memory so that it stays there for a while. There is a very beautiful plant in the wilderness where I run and love looking at its colors. It means that my senses pick that up and since my brain tells me that the memory is of importance, it stays in access for a longer time.
Short term memory
Short term memory is another classification of the human memory, and it is the extension of the part of the sensory memory which is retained for a longer time. This is the information that our mind deems of importance. This version of the memory is also referred to as the working memory for the reason that this part of the memory holds information for as long as the brain is working on that information. Experts say that the retention of memory in this part lasts more a maximum of 30 seconds. Like when we are making arithmetic calculation we have to hold the figures we are working on in our mind for a short period of time, and the same is the case when we are talking to someone. We have to retain what we hear from another person in our minds before we can respond to what is said.
George Miller carried out research during 1950 to find out the capacity of the short-term memory and from this research, he was able to conclude that an individual could hold up to seven items give or take two in the short term memory.
It was following the class presentation that I noticed how my mind was making use of the short term memory for after the presentation; there was a questions and answers session. My memory had to hold and analyze the question that my classmates asked me before I could give them an answer. It was then that I understood why the short term memory is also called the working memory because it is mostly engaged when our mind is working on something.
Long-term Memory
Long term memory is yet another classification of the human memory, and it is the system that permits use to store information for a time that is not within the limits of short-term memory. There is certain information which could be held in this memory for days or months, and there is some memory that could be held over the course of a lifetime. There is a limit to how much memory could be held by the brain but how much the long-term memory can hold is a scope that is beyond comprehension. We could transfer short term memory to the long term after rehearsing something repeatedly over a course of time.
The scope of the long-term memory could be understood with much clarity after studying the following two examples in my life. It was a few days back that I went to the cinema to watch a movie with my friends, and I liked the story, the plot, and the action all through that movie. It was a fun experience which I can recall with ease because it was a memory which is not very old to me. I am sure though that I am going to forget most of the details of that movie in a matter of a few months. And then I have the memory of the day I had traveled to another country for the first time. It was the first journey that I was taking all alone, and it is a day which after so much time I can still remember quite clearly. I am also sure that since the memory has reserved importance in my life, it is the one who is going to stay for the lifetime.
Even with these two examples, it is not hard to figure out that the long term memory has plenty of scopes and could be stored in the brain for varying periods of time. The most important memories that we commit harder to are there to stay for longer while those which are not as crucial are soon discarded by the brain.
Forgetting
Forgetting or the state of forgetfulness is a natural part of the aging process, and it is when the brain faces difficulty in access the long-term memory. Not only that, people who become forgetful also face difficulty in committing details to memory. This problem is not necessarily associated with age rather it could sometimes be for the reason of a mental disability like the Alzheimer’s disease and in some cases, it could be a mental state for someone.
It was following my friend’s accident and the resulting injury to the brain that she started facing major difficulties with memory. There was the longest time when she took quite a while to remember the details of her life prior to the accident, and there was also a time that she was preparing for exams without much luck. Of course, the doctors had guaranteed recovery with the passage of time, but seeing her struggling like that really made me appreciate the need for a healthy memory in all of our lives. That incident that she suffered through really taught us all how important the ability to save and retrieve information to memory is.
This is a mental anomaly that I had not just seen my friend struggle with rather the case of my friend was the one I was not expecting. I have also seen the problem of forgetfulness with my grandmother because she had been losing her memory because of old age. She had to be reminded time and again that she had to take her diabetes medicine because she just could not memorize the schedule of when she was supposed to take what medicine.
Absentmindedness
Another sin of the human memory has to do with a concept that we refer to as absentmindedness. This is a sin that every person’s memory commits at some point in his/her life. This is the point in a person’s life when there occurs a break in between the memory and consciousness. This is when a person is occupied with other thoughts and concerns and doesn’t pay attention to that matter at hand. It involves incidences like putting things and forgetting where a person left them, driving somewhere and missing a turn or forgetting to take an essential item when leaving home.
It was only a few days back that the excitement of making a journey see a friend had animated me and my mind was absolutely not willing to focus on the fact that that very day, I had to give a presentation which was important. It was the same excitement because of which the USB that I had gathered all of the data in was left behind despite the fact that I had tried to remind myself time and again to retrieve it from my side table before leaving for work. It had been because of the same excitement that I had to remember the fact that I had even forgotten the USB after I had gotten to school and then I had to come all the way back to take the USB with me.
The concept of absentmindedness has been proved through the famous ‘door study’ where a number of students are asked by the experimenter for directions while another student carries on a conversation with the participant and in the midst of all the chaos, the person which the student converses with is also secretly switched. The proof of our absent-mindedness becomes clear from the fact that only half the students’ notices that they were actually talking to a different person.
The human memory is a blessing, but when it deceives, it could also become quite unpredictable. This is why as long as we have it, it is essential that we cherish it and derive the full benefits from it. When used and preserved properly, it could help us further and last us longer, and this is why we should also make attempts at preserving it as far as we can.
List of References
AP Psychology. (n.d.). Memory. Retrieved April 10, 2016, from AP Psychology: http://www.appsychology.com/Book/Cognition/Memory/memoryintro.htm
National Institue of Aging. (2016, February). Forgetfulness: Knowing when to ask help. Retrieved from National Institue of Health: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/forgetfulness
Nevid, J. S. (2011). Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Cengage Learning.
Psy Blog. (n.d.). Absent-Mindedness: A Blessing in Disguise? Retrieved April 10, 2016, from PsyBlog: http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/01/absent-mindedness-blessing-in-disguise.php
Schacter, D. (2001, May 01). The Seven Sins of Memory. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200105/the-seven-sins-memory
