Trip Down to Memory Lane

Remember the really first you fell down and scrapped your knees? No? Me too.

Maybe you have forgotten what you have learned in the previous semester. 

Wait, that's me only? Fine, leave me alone then!

On the other hand, most of remember crucial memories, like our first crush, can still be remembered.

me crush back in "Drake and Josh"

T_T Much pretty even after those years

Let's find out why.

Memory - an active system that receives information from the senses, organizes and alters it as it stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage.

The memory is usually compared to the computer in terms of how they store memories.

The first iMac ( Last time your see your ex )

The 2014 version ( Now ... )

Processes of Memory:

Encoding - putting sensory information into the memory system (the brain’s storage systems).

Storage - keeping information in memory system.

Retrieval - pulling up information from memory.

To explain this better. Imagine if the brain is the worker shown, receiving and organizing "files of

information" received. The worker the n stores the "files" in a file. When requested later in the future,

the worker pulls out the file form the storage for usage.

Models of Memory

Information-processing model - 

model of memory that assumes the processing of

information for memory storage is similar to a computer which is in a

series of three stages.

Levels-of-processing model -

model of memory that assumes information that is more

“deeply processed,” or processed according to its meaning rather than just the sound or

physical characteristics of the word or words. 

This means, the significance of the

memory determines whether the memory will last longer or otherwise.

That Fall Out Boy concert is more memorable than that 3 hour Physic class.

Parallel distributed processing (PDP) model - 

a model of memory in which memory

processes are proposed to take place at the same time over a large network of neural

connections. 

Imagine the memory is like a web. 

One string of web is link with another memory and there are a lot of associations in our

memory

Can you read this mate? You can? You can! 

Yay!!! I'm proud of you mate. You did well.

This prove that you have a good eyesight.

Sensory Memory

Iconic memory - visual sensory memory, lasting only a fraction of a second.

Capacity – everything that can be seen at one time.

Masking – information that has been entered into iconic memory will be pushed

out very quickly by new information

¨Echoic memory – auditory sensory memory; the brief memory of something a person has just heard.

Remembering a phone number by repeating it to hear the flow,

over and over.

Capacity - limited to what can be heard at any one moment and is smaller than the capacity of iconic memory

Duration – lasts longer that iconic — about 2 to 4 seconds

Remember this fish? No? Then you might be Dory xD.

Short-term memory (STM) 

- the memory system in which information is held for brief periods of time while being

used.

- There's "selective attention". Basically, you have to choose which stimuli to

focus on to remember into the STM as well as Long-term Memory

- Chunking helps in remembering things easier because it's in a meaningful

grouping

- Maintainace rehearsal is needed to maintain memory in STM

Have you ever done cue cards before to prepare for exams? 

This baby helps a lot! Make effort in doing these.

How bout snapping your fingers when  you wanted to recall what is the name of your favorite

childhood cartoon?

Static Shock! I really want to re-watch the show.

Recall - the information to be retrieved must be “pulled” from memory with very few external cues.

Retrieval cues – words, meanings, sounds, and other stimuli that are encoded at the same time as a new memory. For example, those cue cards.

When you fail to recall, it becomes the "tip of the tongue phenomenon" aka

Retrieval Failure 

Do you ever noticed that sometimes, it is easier to remember the lessons that you had learn when

your actually in class? That's due to "encoding" specificity". It occurs when the physical

surrounding around you becomes the retrieval cue.

For example, I remember the algorithm to solve the Rubik's cube much easier when I hold th cube

myself rather than without it.

That was really really fast ... T_T

State-dependent learning -  memories formed during a particular physiological or

psychological state will be easier to recall while in a similar state.

This is why it is easier to recall good memories when you're on top of the world. And you really feel

gutted when you are sad because all those dark past memories starts to haunt you.

Automatic encoding - tendency of certain kinds of information to enter long-term

memory with little or no effort for encoding. This means that you instantly remember something

without you wanting to remember at the first place. As example, the moment you're officially

married.

Flashbulb memories is a type of automatic encoding. It occurs because of a unexpected

event that has a strong emotion tied to it.