Memory And Memory: The Nature Of Memory

Memory is a fundamental component of daily life. We rely on it so heavily, that life without memory would be close to impossible. Our very survival depends on our ability to remember who we are, who others are, and our past experiences. Memory allows us to remember our family vacation from when we were a kid, directions on how to get to the grocery store, or who the first president of the United States was. Psychologists define memory as “the process by which we encode, store, and retrieve information” (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Encoding can be compared to a computer’s keyboard, because it is the initial process in which information is recorded in a usable form (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Storage is similar to a computer’s hard drive, because it is the maintenance of material for future use (Feldman, 2015, p. 205). Lastly, retrieval can be compared to a computer’s software, because it is the location and recovery of stored information (Feldman, 2015, p. 205).

Through reading Chapter 6 of Essentials of Understanding Psychology and completing the McGraw Hill Connect online lab, I was able to learn the nature of memory, different kinds of memory, the biological bases of memory, what causes difficulties and failures in remembering, reasons why we forget, major memory dysfunctions, and ways we can improve our memory.
Part of the McGraw Hill online lab that helped me understand the concept of encoding was a concept clip explaining the definition of encoding and the three different types of attention involved. Selective Attention is “focusing on a specific aspect of an experience while ignoring others” (McGraw-Hill, 2015), such as when you block out all the noises at a party to focus in on one of your friend’s stories. Sustained Attention is “the ability to focus on a selected stimulus for a prolonged period of time” (McGraw-Hill, 2015). Examples include listening to a long lecture or reading a book. I obviously do not have a very good sustained attention, because I become distracted very easily when I attempt to focus on one thing for a long time. Divided Attention involves “concentration on more than one activity at the same time” (McGraw-Hill, 2015). An example would be when students listen to music while studying for a test, something I am guilty of. Multitasking divides your attention, causing you to be less focused, making it more difficult to encode the information (McGraw-Hill, 2015).
An article that I had to read for the McGraw Hill Connect online lab was called “Trayvon Martin Case Showcases Eyewitness Unreliability” (Korbus, 2012). This article focused on the case involving Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman and how the eyewitness testimonies from various people were substantially different, “ranging from differences in clothing, body positions, and when and how many gunshots were heard” (McGraw-Hill, 2015). Due to the high-stress and emotional situation, the witnesses simply “misperceived or misinterpreted different elements of what was happening” (Korbus, 2012). This example, as well as the other “75,000 prosecutions a year totally based on eyewitness recollections” (Feldman, 2015, p. 223) prove the problem involving witness errors. Some factors that could cause these mistakes include the distraction of weapons and the wording of questions asked by police officers and/or attorneys. Unfortunately, there have been many situations in which false eyewitness testimonies have resulted in unjustified legal actions (Feldman, 2015, p. 223).
The process of using memory is as natural as breathing, yet there is a great deal of processing that occurs to keep us functioning properly. The journey information takes as it is processed into memories is complex and has many stages. Without memory we would not be able to remember meaningful experiences, such as our first kiss or our not so happy moments, such as our first heartbreak.