Historical And Contemporary Perspectives On Memory Essay

Historical and Contemporary Views on Memory

Have you ever been trying to remember a recipe, a phone number, or even how to do a math equation? When trying to remember how to do these things you’re using your working memory. Memory is our ability to encode, store, retain, and recall information from past experiences. Memory can also give us the capacity to learn and adapt from pervious experiences. Memory in terms of the brain is a set of encoded neural connections. Memory is related to learning which is a process of which neurons that fire together to produce an experience are altered to fire together again. Or as Hebb stated, “Neurons that fire together, wire together”. (Hebb, 1949)

When we exercise our working memory, we develop learning and memory schemas which promote our ability to learn. Schemas describe a pattern of though or behavior that organizes information. Schemas draw the attention to new knowledge. Schemas provide a framework for future knowledge and

Wundt the founder of psychology as a science, gave the mind an opportunity to be discovered in a whole new light. Before him the mind was part of a being, it was not something to be discovered. Each memory is unique to the person who forms it. Memories may decay or change over time making them unreliable.

There are three types of memory that most speak of. These include sensory memory which happens most directly in young children who are discovering this world. When a young child touches sand and feels the graininess. They are creating a sensory experience. Then there is short term memory. Short term memory happens in a matter of seconds it allows a person to either discard information or store information without even thinking about it. The final type of memory is long term memory which sets unlimited capacity for storage of new information. Long term memory can be broken down into many smaller more distinct