The Evolution Of Memory Systems

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Memory has many functions in animals and humans. Without memory, animals and humans would not survive (Henke, 2010). The main idea of evolutionary psychology is that the structures in the brain that are responsible for memory are similar to one another (Nairne, 2010). It is likely that memory systems evolved due to pressures or problems that our ancestors faced (Nairne, 2010). This suggests that memory mechanisms probably come from solving problems in the environment our ancestors once lived in (Nairne, 2010). However, we cannot know exactly what our ancestral environment looked like (Nairne, 2010). We can suggest that our ancestors faced recurring problems such as: hunting for food, being hunted themselves by predators, or finding/making shelter (Nairne, 2010). These recurring problems allowed for the adaption of behavior (Nairne, 2010). Studies show that we are able to recall information easier if it has to do with survival and fitness (Nairne, 2010). This is due to the emotional arousal that is caused by a situation in which we have to survive (Nairne, 2010). …show more content…

The memory systems include: episodic, procedural, semantic memory, classical conditions, priming and non-associative learning (Henke, 2010). All memory systems are independent of each other and are controlled by different regions of the brain (Henke, 2010). It’s very probable that memory systems did not evolve for the purpose of memorizing everything (Nairne, 2010). If all the information ever presented is stored, there could be storage problems (Nairne, 2010). To avoid this, selectivity of memory is required and memory systems can respond to specific fitness-related information that it receives due to the incorporated biases of the various types of memory (Nairne, 2010). This literature review will focus on investigating the mechanism behind procedural memory and examining the effects of music on human

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