Memory Strategies

In this posting, I will explain about how to use our memory wisely and sharpen it . But first, I will told u guys what is memory. like always , we must give the explanation first before giving the statements. Let's start !

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Memory is the faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. Memory is vital to experiences and related to limbic systems, it is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If we could not remember past events, we could not learn or develop language, relationships, nor personal identity.

Often memory is understood as an informational processing system with explicit and implicit functioning that is made up of a sensory processor, short-term (or working) memory, and long-term memory (Baddely, 2007). The sensory processor allows information from the outside world to be sensed in the form of chemical and physical stimuli and attended to with various levels of focus and intent. Working memory serves as an encoding and retrieval processor. Information in the form of stimuli is encoded in accordance with explicit or implicit functions by the working memory processor. The working memory also retrieves information from previously stored material. Finally, the function of long-term memory is to store data through various categorical models or systems (Baddely, 2007).

Explicit and implicit functions of memory are also known as declarative and non-declarative systems (Squire, 2009). These systems involve the purposeful intention of memory retrieval and storage, or lack thereof. Declarative, or explicit, memory is the conscious storage and recollection of data (Graf & Schacter, 1985). Under declarative memory resides semantic and episodic memory. Semantic memory refers to memory that is encoded with specific meaning (Eysenck, 2012), while episodic memory refers to information that is encoded along a spatial and temporal plane (Schacter & Addis, 2007; Szpunar, 2010). Declarative memory is usually the primary process thought of when referencing memory (Eysenck, 2012).

Non-declarative, or implicit, memory is the unconscious storage and recollection of information (Foerde & Poldrack, 2009). An example of a non-declarative process would be the unconscious learning or retrieval of information by way of procedural memory, or a priming phenomenon (Eysenck, 2012; Foerde & Poldrack, 2009; Tulving & Schacter, 1990). Priming is the process of subliminally arousing specific responses from memory and shows that not all memory is consciously activated (Tulving & Schacter, 1990), whereas procedural memory is the slow and gradual learning of skills that often occurs without conscious attention to learning (Eysenck, 2012; Foerde & Poldrack, 2009).

Memory is not a perfect processor, and is affected by many factors. The manner information is encoded, stored, and retrieved can all be corrupted. The amount of attention given new stimuli can diminish the amount of information that becomes encoded for storage (Eysenck, 2012). Also, the storage process can become corrupted by physical damage to areas of the brain that are associated with memory storage, such as the hippocampus (Squire, 2009). Finally, the retrieval of information from long-term memory can be disrupted because of decay within long-term memory (Eysenck, 2012). Normal functioning, decay over time, and brain damage all affect the accuracy and capacity of memory.

From an information processing perspective there are three main stages in the formation and retrieval of memory:

• Encoding or registration: receiving, processing and combining of received information
• Storage: creation of a record of the encoded information in short-term or long-term memory
• Retrieval, recall or recollection: calling back the stored information in response to some cue for use in a process or activity

The Basic Rule of Most Memory Strategies

The fundamental principle that numerous memory techniques are based upon is just a simple realization

The diversity of an experience makes it memorable. If you look at your past, you will remember particular events that had something different from all other moments. Every moment you live is an experience. The moments that you can remember perfectly are only those that had something special.

For example, you can’t remember what you ate in a typical evening the previous month but you may remember perfectly a car accident that happened in front of your eyes four years ago. A car crash is not something that you see every day (of course it is better not to see it at all). Something rare and special is stored in the long term memory. Probably you will remember it in great detail for the rest of your life.

In the most memory strategies, what matters is a way to make your experiences unique. You create strong associations between these unique experiences and the stuff that you want to memorize.

The discussed memory strategies require a good visualization skill. See the visualization exercises to develop and improve this skill.

Always have in mind this basic rule: unique experiences + strong associations = increase memory capacity.

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• Mnemonics ( memory tricks )
• Visual - imagery
• Organised
• Chunking