Process Essay

The Memory Process

The phrase “forgive and forget” is a very civil and respectful way of getting over something troublesome. However, this is not what really happens. If an event or action has enough significance that it requires forgiveness, it will not be that easily forgotten. Despite good intentions, that memory will actually go through the entire memory process and most likely end up in the long term memory for years to come. That process includes encoding memories, storing memories, and retrieving memories.                                   

The first step of the memory process, encoding, converts inputted information in the brain into a construct to be stored later. Perceptions and sensations are “decoded,” or characterized, and sent to various sensory areas of the cortex (“Memory Encoding”). Information is initially converted into sensory memory, or ultra-short term memory, and is stored in the short term or long term memory. Sensory memory is broken down into two categories, echoic and iconic memories, which go through various forms of encoding. Acoustic encoding accounts for all audio information, (sounds, pitches, tones) and sends information to be temporarily stored in the echoic memory. Visual encoding concerns images, names, and places, and temporarily stores that information in the iconic memory. Our memories are not limited to just sights and sounds, however. Tactile encoding converts memories from physical contact and information from nerve endings. Semantic encoding processes memories that have more meaning and can be applied into a larger context. Information that goes through tactile and/or semantic encoding is temporarily stored in either the acoustic or visual memories depending on where it applies. As a general rule, the brain’s short term memory relies mostly on acoustic encoding and long term memory on semantic encoding (“Memory Encoding”).

After memories have gone through the required encoding steps, information is sent to the short term memory where it can be recalled over short periods of time. These stored memories are taken directly from the sensory memory (Strickland). This stage acts to filter out what the brain might consider to be unnecessary memories. If humans were to remember every insignificant piece of information, for example where they parked their car a year ago, the information would be incredibly overwhelming and the brain would have to sort through so much more data just to retrieve simple facts (Jellison). Short term memories have the capacity to hold seven items, give or take 2. However, there are ways for the brain to overcome this limitation. Through methods like chunking (a strategy that groups multiple pieces of information, so that there are no longer several items to remember, but only one) and mnemonic devices, the short term memory can actually hold more than the “magic seven”(“Memory Storage”). Unless further efforts to remember are applied or further attention is given to the memory, items will last in the short term memory for only 15-30 seconds (Wagner 1163-1167).

Deeper processing and rehearsal converts short term memories into long term memories (Ferguson). Here, information is stored for a few minutes up to a life time (“Memory Storage”). One of four types of long term memories is episodic. Episodic memories are significant events in one’s lifetime, e.g.  Birthday parties or first dates. Explicit memories are declarative—details about those events or objects that one specifically remembers. General facts and dates, like remembering Christmas is December 25th, falls under semantic memories (not to be confused with semantic encoding). These three types differ the most from the last category, implicit memories. Procedures, motor skills, and classically conditioned traits are labeled implicit memories (Ferguson). Despite common belief, “memories are not stored in our brains like books on library shelves” (“Memory Storage”), but are constantly being reconstructed throughout areas of the brain. Memories are not stored and set aside for retrieval; there is an ongoing process of reclassification due constant neural activity. 

The final stage is retrieving memories, or re-accessing information. Most of what humans remember is retrieved by direct recall, or retrieving information linked to a question or cue. Sequential scanning, or searching through files similar to what computers do, is not used nearly as much. There are three types of retrieval: free, cued, and serial recall. Free recall is remembering a list of items in any order without constraint. Cued recall requires remembering that list and then answering questions based off of it. Serial recall is the ability to retrieve chronological order of events or order of pairs (Memory Recall). Once information is retrieved, it goes back to where it was originally stored until the next time of retrieval. 

In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde states that “memory… is the diary that we carry around with us.” This is an accurate depiction considering the fact that most diary entries have an emotional aspect, and emotional memories are more easily processed. Once experiences and observances are converted and stored, the recollection of memories can happen with just the subtlest of cues. 

Works Cited

Ferguson. "Memory and Consciousness - Lecture Notes." Welcome to Utah State University. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.usu.edu/psycho101/lectures/chp9memory/memory.htm#5>.

Jellison, Jenny. "Psych 101." Waynesburg University. Waynesburg, PA. 15 Oct. 2010. Lecture.

"Memory Encoding." The Human Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct 2010. http://www.human-memory.net/processes_encoding.html.

"Memory Storage." The Human Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct 2010. http://www.human-memory.net/processes_storage.html.

"Memory Recall." The Human Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct 2010. http://www.human-memory.net/processes_recall.html.

Stickland, Bonnie. "Memory." Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. 2nd ed. Web. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=EBKS&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C14%29memory+process%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=Relevance&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T001&prodId=IPS&searchId=R1&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=fred30208&docId=CX3406000415&docType=EBKS&contentSet=EBKS.

Wagner, M. "The History of the Gene Encoding Receptor." International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. (2008): 1163-1167. Print