Memory as a cognitive process

· Memory concept.

Fixing, conservation and subsequent (последующее) reproduction of the previous experience by a human being is called memory.

Memory is the basis of human psychic life. With the help of memory a person can get knowledge necessary for activity, abilities and skills. New developments in one’s psyche are always based on previous achievements, fixed in memory. I.Setchenov proved, that a person, who has no memory would be constantly in the state of new-born child, being not capable to learn anything.

There are 4 main processes in memory:

- memorizing (encoding, getting information into the memory);

- storing (retaining information over time);

- retrieval (taking information out of storage);

- forgetting (process opposite to the process of memorizing, fading information from memory).

Memorizing is one of the main memory processes. Its basis is the formation and strengthening of the temporal nervous connections. The more complicated is the material, the more complicated temporal connections are.

Memorizing, as well as other psychic processes, can be spontaneous (непроизвольное) and arbitrary (произвольное).

Spontaneous memorizing is carried out without any specially set aim to memorize. Vivid, emotionally colored objects cause spontaneous memorizing. Everything, what is interesting, is memorized considerably easier, and kept in memory for a more considerable period of time, that uninteresting one.

Arbitrary memorizing differs from the spontaneous by a level of volitional effort, by the presence of aim. It has purposeful nature, special methods, such as:

- rehearsal (conscious repetition of information that increases the length of time that information stays in memory);

- understanding of information;

- division of the materials into parts;

- chunking (grouping of the objects that should be memorized, mostly by 3);

- organizing of the information (in many instances we remember information better, when we organize it hierarchically. Hierarchy is a system in which items are organized from general to specific classes).

Retrieval (воспроизведение) – is an activation of the previously formed temporal nervous connections in the cortex.

The simplest form of retrieval is recognition (узнавание). Recognition is reproduction, appeared after the REPEATED perception of objects. Recognition can be complete and incomplete.

The more complicated form of retrieval is recollection (воспоминание).The peculiarity of recollection consists in that fact, that it takes place WITHOUT repeated perception of material. Recollection can be spontaneous and arbitrary.

A special form of arbitrary retrieval is remembrance (припоминание). If in some necessary moment it is impossible to recollect essential data, a person makes some EFFORTS to overcome objective and subjective difficulties, connected with retrieving.

Forgetting. Everything, what is memorized, is forgotten gradually. Forgetting is a function of time. The basis of forgetting is fading away of temporal nervous connections, when they are not renewed through periodic use. If gained knowledge is not used for a long period of time, then is forgot gradually (‘use it - or lose it’ J)

· Types of memory

According to duration:

a) active (sensory) – from fraction of a second to several seconds;

b) short-term - up 30 seconds/1 minute;

c) long-term – up to life time.

Sensory: echoic memory (auditory), iconic (visual) memory, olfactory, tactile. Active memory provides memorizing and retrieval of information necessary for using in present activity.

Short-term memory is limited in capacity. The limit is the rang 7±2 items/units.

According to essence of memorized material:

- imaginative;

- emotional;

- motor;

- verbal-logical.

Example 1. Desk, lake, paper, ice, hand, metal, frog, grape, book, glass, clock, piano.

The tendency to recall items from the beginning and end of a list better than recall those in the middle is called serial position effect. The phenomena was demonstrated more than 100 years ago by Herman Ebbinhaus.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29