THE HUMAN MEMORY

KATE NDERUSHIKO MWAURAIRVINE JULIABERNARD NYACHIEOWILLIAM KANGUANN MATILDA

MEMORY INTRODUCTION Memory is the ability to encode, store and

remember information and past experiences in the brain.

Encoding: a process of making mental representation of information. It can also mean transferring from short term to long term.

Storing: Process of placing encoded information into relatively permanent storage for later recall.

Remembering: the process of retrieving what has been stored in short term or long term memory.

Intro cont... In general terms one can define

memory as the use of past experience to influence or affect human behaviour.

WHERE MEMORY COMES FROM Memory is not located on one particular

part of the brain but instead there is a brain wide process in which different parts of the brain work in conjunction with one another(distributing process).

Intro cont...For example: when riding a bicycle, the

whole process is reconstructed by the brain in different areas.

The memory of how to operate the bike comes from one area, the memory of the street paths comes from another area, the memory of bike safety rules in another and the nervous feeling when almost falling or being hit comes from another part of the brain.

DISTRIBUTIVE PROCESS DIAGRAM

TYPES OF MEMORYThere are three main types of memory.1) Sensory memory2) Long term memory3) Short term memory

Unlike the other two types, long type memory is extensive as it lasts a lifetime and thus has further sub divisions as can be seen in the diagram below:

Types of memory diagram

a) SENSORY MEMORY (<1sec)

Sensory memories the Shortest term element of memory. In order for anything to enter our memory, it must be picked up by our senses( taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell).

Sensory memory makes use of the five senses in order to be developed.

For example, the ability to look at something and remember what it looked like with just a second of observation is an example of sensory memory.

b) SHORT TERM MEMORY (<1min)

Also called working memory. It is everything you are thinking of at the current moment. Takes less than one minute to process.

It is the information we hang on to while doing another process and it tends to disappear really fast unless we make an effort to remember it.

For example, when reading a sentence, you place the beginning of the sentence in mind so as to understand the rest of the sentence.

c) LONG TERM MEMORY (life- time)

This is a process of storing unlimited amounts of information over long period of time.

Although there is the element of forgetting, long term memory decays very little and we are thus able to recall most of it.

Long term memory cont...Short term memories can become long

term memories through the process of consolidation which involves rehearsal and meaningful association.

Unlike short-term memory (which relies mostly on an acoustic, and to a lesser extent a visual, code for storing information), long-term memory encodes information for storage semantically (i.e. based on meaning and association).

Long term memory location

Characteristics of long term memoryIt has an unlimited capacity and

it is relatively permanent.Chances of retrieval are

dependent on encoding process.Its accuracy may be distorted

over time

TYPES OF LONG TERM MEMORY

a) IMPLICIT MEMORY(procedural)Implicit memory is memory that can be

unconsciously recalled. This is also known as procedural memory. It is a memory of skills and how to do things, particularly movement of body parts and use of objects or machines.

This is memory acquired through repetition and practise and is composed of automatic sensorimeter behaviours that are so deeply embedded that we are no longer aware of them. An example is when you teach a child to write over and over again, eventually it becomes embedded in him until he is able to do it simply without thinking so much about it. Other examples include riding a bike, tying a shoe-lace, playing the guitar etc.

cont.... This type of long-term memory allows people

to carry out ordinary motor actions more or less automatically. This is aided by previous performances of the task without explicit or conscious awareness of the previous experiences, like you do not remember how you learnt how to hold a spoon or how to tie your shoe lace, yet now you can do it more unconsciously.

Implicit memory is stored and encoded by the cerebellum, putamen, caudate nucleus and the motor cortex- all of which are involved in motor control.

Factors Affecting Implicit MemoryStrokeDepression and stressDrug abuseLack of sleepNutritional deficiencyHead injuryMedications

b) EXPLICIT(declarative)Declarative memory is a type of long

term memory and it is also known as explicit memory.

It is in this memory where we store memories of fact.

Your ability to recall addresses, locations of parking garages, intersection names, phone numbers, and an experience that you had at a restaurant are all a part of declarative memory.

Explicit cont...For example: let's say that you

know that your favourite restaurant is only open until 6 PM on Sundays. The time that the restaurant closes is stored as a declarative memory. We can consciously recall declarative memory. 

Factors Affecting Declarative Memory.STRESSThrough experimentation

method, scholars have been able to detect that those who are undergoing stress tend to affect their declarative memory more than those who are not undergoing stress.

i. EPISODIC MEMORYEpisodic memory represents our

memory of experiences and specific events in time, from which we can reconstruct the actual events that took place at any given point in our lives

Episodic memory is what enables one to give an account of an event which happened and will tend to be different from someone else's.

EXAMPLES OF EPISODIC MEMORYFirst day at a new job.First movie you watched with

your wife.The first time you travelled by

plane.Your wedding day.Your first kiss.

ii. SEMANTIC MEMORYSemantic memory includes

things that are common knowledge, such as the names of colors, the sounds of letters, the capitals of countries and basic facts acquired over a life time.

Semantic memory is the recollection of facts gathered from the time we are young

Examples of semantic memory.Knowing that grass is green.Knowing how to use scissors.Understanding how to put words

together to form a sentence.Knowing how to use a phone.Recognizing the names of

colours.

GENERAL FACTORS AFFECTING MEMORY.a. Ability to retain:This depends upon good memory traces left in

the brain by past experiences.b. Good health:A person with good health can retain the learnt

material better than a person with poor health.c. Age of the learner:Youngsters can remember better than the

aged.d. Maturity:Very young children cannot retain and

remember complex material.

Factors cont...e. Will to remember:Willingness to remember helps for better retention.f. Intelligence:More intelligent person will have better memory

than a dull person,g. Interest: If a person has more interest, he will learn and

retain better.h. Over learning:Experiments have proved that over learning will

lead to better memory.i. Speed of learning:Quicker learning leads to better retention,

Factors cont...j. Meaningfulness of the

material:Meaningful materials remain in

our memory for longer period than for nonsense material,

k. Sleep or rest:Sleep or rest immediately after

learning strengthens connections in the brain and helps for clear memory.

THE END