"Memory means showing the signs of earlier learned activities in present activities." -Hillguard & Atkinson
"Memory is the capacity of a person to represent the information in response to the collection of previously learned activities and specific stimuli." -H.J. Isenk
"Memory is related to remembering of previously learned object." -Woodworth
"Memory means imagining events as experienced in the past and recognizing them as belonging to one's own past experience." -Mcdougall
Quality Of Good Memory
1. Good retention power of the person.
2. Re-presenting the facts quickly.
3. Quick and clear recognition.
4. Learning the subject matter quickly and immediately.
5. Using the facts and thoughts at the suitable time.
Its is essential to study the different stages of memory. Process of memory takes place into four stages:
1. Learning
2. Retention
3. Recall
4. Recognition
1. Learning:- It is the first stage, in which material is learned. For Learning the material different type of methods are used. One method is learn by exercise. In this, the given material is repeated again and again. It is based on trial and error learning. Another way is learn by insight. When the material is repeated again and again certain new understanding develop and it is learnt. Learning is also possible with conditioning.
2. Retention:- Once the material is learnt then it is retained in the form of memory traces in the mind. These memory traces may be permanent or temporary. Permanent traces remain retained in the brain for many years but temporary traces last for a short duration only. Temporary memory traces are formed in the form of neural circuits which can be distributed by external forces whereas permanent traces are in the form of biochemical in the brain.
3. Recall:- Reproduction of learnt material is called recall. The learnt material in the absence of any presentation of the material is recalled. Retained material can be recalled really or verbally.
For example:- When a poem is learnt and retained in the brain when asked it is reproduced orally or in writing. During recall an individual may forget some part of material.
4. Recognition:- It is the last stage, in which learnt material is presented mixed with new material and person has to identify the learnt material.
For example:- You receive the letter about coming of your one school time friend but you are unable to recall anything about him but as soon you saw him you identify him.
Types of Memory:-
Depending upon the difference is the rate of decay of the information, mainly three kinds of storage are describe. They are:-
1. Sensory Memory or Immediate Memory
2. Short Term Memory or Working Memory
3. Long Term Memory
1. Sensory Memory or Immediate memory:- Sensory memory stores incoming information in a sensory register which has large capacity. Information in sensory register casts for a very short duration ranging from fraction of a second to a few seconds. Sensory image is like the flash of letter on a screen or the auditory image of spoken word. The material of sensory memory may be proceed into short term or long term memory or they may be discarded.
2. Short term memory (STM) or working memory:- Short term memory holds a relatively small amount of information about seven items or chunks, for a short period of 15-30 seconds. The type of information stored consist of sound, image, words or sentences. Information is lost from STM by being displaced by new inputs. Information form STM may be transferred to LTM through either maintainence or elaborative rehearsal.
3. Long term memory:- LTM has the unlimited capacity to store information for days, months, years and even for a life time, Information may be lost, or at least not retrieved, form long term memory because of difficulties in the search process or because of interference by other long term memories.
It is by LTM that you always remember your name, your father's name, date of birth and other personal data.
MEMORY SYSTEM-INFORMATION PROCESSING
Ideas about memory that emphasize the processing of information in stages or steps are known as information processing theories. According to psychologist John Kihlston to University of Arisona, this approach is modeled after high speed computer (1987).
The memorising process is organised in the form of memory traces which functions like a computer.
Memory is said to consist of three cognitive process mentioned in its definition - encoding, storage and retrieval.
Encoding is the process of receiving sensory input and transforming it into a code that can be stored.
Storage is the process of actually putting the coded information into memory.
Retrieval is the process of gaining access to the encoded, stored information, when it is to be used.
FAVOURABLE FACTORS FOR MEMORY PROCESS
1. Type of subject matter. This includes the clarity, intensity, utility and duration of stimulus.
2. Over-learning leads to longer lasting memory. But it is essential to set the limits of over learning.
3. Appropriate speed and method of learning.
4. Paying more attention to subject matter.
5. Sufficient mental readiness.
6. Pleasant experience and feelings.
7. Extensiveness of experience and clarity of objective.
8. Frequent mental review of subject.
In its simplest form, memory refers to the continued process of information retention over time. There are three main processes that characterize how memory works. These process are encoding, storage, and retrieval Encoding. Memory is our ability to encode. Memory is our ability, store, retain and subsequently recall information and past experiences in the human brain. It can be thought of in general terms as the use of past experience to affect or influence current behavior. The three main forms of memory storage are sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. Sensory memory is not consciously controlled; it allows individuals to retain impressions of sensory information after the originals stimulus has ceased. the inability to retrieve a memory is one of the most common cause of forgetting. So why are we often unable to retrieve information from money?... According to this theory, a memory trace is created every time a new theory is formed. Decay theory suggests that over time, these memory traces begin to fade and disappear.
Despite some anecdotal claims to the contrary, research suggests that people aren't able to remember their births. The inability to remember early childhood events before the age of 3 or 4, including birth, is called childhood or infantile amnesia. Memory is a system or process that stores what we learn for future use. Our memory has basic function: encoding, storing and retrieving. Encoding is the act of getting information into our memory system through automatic or effortful processing. Memory has a fundamental role in life, reflecting the past as the past, and offering the possibility of reusing all past present experience, as well as helping to ensure continuity between what was and what was going to be. Dolphins have taken the top spot for best memory, at least for now. New experiments show that bottlenose dolphins can remember whistles of other dolphins they'd lived with after 20 years of separation.
As a number, a "petabyte" means 1024 terabyte or a million gigabytes, so the average adult human brain has the ability to store the equivalent of 2.5 million gigabytes digital memory. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive, Yet neurons combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially increasing the brain's memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes. To sharp the brain eat less added sugar, try a fish oil supplement, make time for meditation, Maintain a healthy Weight. Get Enough sleep, Practice Mindfulness, Drink Less Alcohol, Train your brain. But because memory is a skill and not a gift, for true memory improvement you must train your brain. Memory was ranked as one of the most important discipline of oratory, a flourishing art at the time. Though some memories may be inaccessible to you, they're not entirely gone, and could potentially be retrieved , according to new research from the university of California, Irvine. If you've ever forgotten something and thought it to be lost forever, don't despair-- it's still filled away in your brain.
