I am returning your essay ungraded. You are off to a great start. In your essay you are required to include a description and examples of each of the three types of memory: Sensory, Short Term and Long Term. In addition, you will need to discuss the different types of long term memory (declarative, procedural, semantic, episodic, implicit, explicit, flashbulb and autobiographical). Provide an example of each.
Discuss the Process of memory and Different Types of Memory by relating to Personal Experience.
Lanisha Smith ,
22482687
Essentials of Psychology SSC130
September 26 2017
Essay 250059
Introduction
Memory is one thing that is very vital in the daily life of a human being. Memory can be described as a complex procedure which permits people to recall and learn a large amount of information each and every day. Being a complex process, many people have studied it in ages with psychologists being part of the study. Psychologists have not been sure the way the brain works, all in all, they know that the brain has thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala which are parts that are involved in process of memory. Memory, therefore, has three stages which are:
· Encoding Comment by Grissom, Larissa: Remove bullet points
· Storage
· Retrieval
Two major types of memory are:
· Short-term Memory
· Long-term Memory
Information is stored, encoded and also retrieved in the process of Memory. The process of encoding refers to how information from the outside world to be accessed by the senses in chemical form as well as physical stimuli. During the first process, the information is supposed to be changed in order to be converted into what is known as the encoding process. The second stage in memory process is stored. In the storage process, it involves maintaining the information in the brain over a specific period of time. Last but not least there is the retrieval process involving accessing the information that was already stored where one must locate it and afterward go back to our usual consciousness.
Encoding process being the first process, it entails one been exposed to any type of information. The information is always taken and then processed in acoustic (sound), visual (picture) as well as semantic (meaning) form. This denotes that information might be collected as a picture or even sound to give the information a particular meaning. The best way one can understand the first process of memory is to categorize it as a method that can be utilized to lay the foundation in recalling information.
A good example in personal life that I understood the idea of encoding is when I was looking for my Professors number in regards to my course. Looking at the number, I believe I used what is called visual coding. By saying the number multiply while I searched for the phone, I realized I was also coding the number acoustically. I noticed that the professor's number was one digit off compared to my sister's number and wondered how thin the odd was for something like this to happen. This entailed semantic coding where professors that are being used in my self-talk gave a very clear meaning, hence the foundation to recall professor's number was in place.
Storage of information is the second stage which allows one to keep information available for the purpose of recalling it later on at some point. The two key types of memory in human beings are Short-term as well as Long-term memory. Sometimes STM can be termed as Active memory. This means that this information lasts to a limit of 30 seconds, hence adults are capable of storing information 5 to 9 items in Active memory. In case information has been attending for some time, the information becomes a Long-term memory. Therefore the information in Long-term memory can stay in the brain for a year or sometimes for a lifetime. This makes information in Long-term memory to be remembered whenever needed.
In relation to my personal experience, my professor's number if not processed well in my brain, I would have recalled it only for about 10 to 20 seconds. However, after looking at it visually, rehearsing it acoustically and comparing it to my sister's number semantically, the number would automatically be moved to Long-term Memory. This means that the secret to storing information in the Long-Term Memory is through repetition.
Retrieval of information is the last stage in process of Memory which means to get information where it was stored. This insinuates that fails to remember information means that one is unable retrieving it. Therefore retrieving information is based on the difference existing between Long-Term and Short-Term Memory. In STM, the information is retrieved successively, a good personal experience is still through recalling my Professor's number. If my classmate asks me if I can help her with the number, I would have to use the same order I mastered it to recall or retrieve the information. In LTM the information is stored in association. Association in my example I would trace what exactly I was doing when I was looking for the number, where I found it and how I related it to my sister's number.
Conclusion
In the process of memory, organization plays a crucial part where one can organize information using different categories ranging from size, time or alphabetically. The way memory works help a lot in our daily life ranging from taking instructions, doing tests or examination by recalling what one has learned over a long sequence of time. Proper organization of information counts a lot to help a particular person to remember it psychologically.
Work Cited
Robert S. Feldman, (2012).
Psychology and Your Life (Second Edition). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Print Version.