A Short Review of the Human Memory and Its Processes

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"Memory only slumbers, never dies," wrote Thomas Paine in the 1868 Chamber's Journal. I agree, but it was not until my sophomore psychology class did I realize the truth in Paine's words. Memories are our symbolic links to the past, allowing us the recollection of our childhood, what we studied last week, what the weather forecast for tomorrow is. It also enabled me to remember studying the topic of memory in Mr. Kirchoff's class. Years had passed between covering memory in his class and reviewing my notes today, but I still remember sitting in his class and listening to his lectures.

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In my psychology class, Mr. Kirchoff emphasized three main topics within memory: short term memory, long term memory, and how memories are formed. In order to comprehend the vast concept of the human memory, it was important for me to learn the types of memories existing within the brain.

Before I even entered high school, I was familiar with the two main branches of the human memory- short term memory and long term memory.

I'm sure I learned about those concepts at some point in my early schooling. Short term memory pertains to what you just perceived and are actively trying to remember. For this reason, short term memory is known as the active memory. For this reason, short term memory is known as the active memory. Information here that is not consolidated into our long term memory is readily accessible for around thirty seconds and is limited to around seven ‘slots' for information.

A process known as 'chunking' has proven to be an extremely useful method in increasing the capacity for information within short term memory slots. Kendra Cherry, a psychology expert, defines chunking as "a term referring to the process of taking individual pieces of information and grouping them into larger units." One situation in which I frequently use chunking is when I am trying to remember a phone number. By chunking groups of members together, it is easier to recall because I'm viewing it as two groups of numbers rather than seven individual numbers.

Typically, people will attempt to consolidate information from short term memory to long term memory through the use of auditory encoding. This is a way of transferring auditory sensory input into something that the brain can process chemically, and similar forms of encoding exist for other types of sensory input. By repeating information to ourselves verbally or in our heads, it becomes easier to recall due to rehearsal. Regardless of chunking or the amount of rehearsal, long term memory will always trump short term memory as far as capacity and range go. Long term memory consists of information and memories that we are not actively trying to maintain/rehearse. Its capacity is vast and can include memories from throughout our entire lives. While some people claim to recall memories from before the age of two, it is not typical to clearly remember events from this time.

A part of the brain known as the hippocampus is vital in the creation of memories; however, it does not develop fully until around two years old, so it lacks the ability to properly create and store memories. Another reason for this is that children typically do not possess adequate verbal skills which would enable them to consolidate their memories in a meaningful way. Personally, I don't remember anything before age three. After taking psychology, I knew why. Another thing that I learned in that class is that there are four subtypes of long term memories. This developed my basic knowledge of long term memory into something more complex. In my psychology class I was introduced to four new types of memories: episodic, semantic, procedural, and emotional. Episodic memories are the personal memories you store- happy, sad, or angry moments, your episodic memories act as your own mental diary. When I recall the way the classroom looked and the placement of other students around me, I am recalling episodic memories. Semantic memories are not linked to a certain point in time in our lives in the way that episodic memories are.

These kinds of memories are facts that you have learned over the years. My memories of what I learned in psych are semantic. Episodic and semantic memories are considered explicit memories, likely because they are distinct and can be consciously remembered, detail by detail. The last two types of long term memories are known as implicit memories because there is typically not a conscious awareness of recalling them. Procedural memories, the first of these, are memories of how to do something or how to perform a certain action. These are the reason I remember how to drive my car and write words down.

Procedural memories are directly linked to our motor cortex within the brain and rely on rehearsal of motor skills to be consolidated. Emotional memories are the last of the four types I learned about. They are not so much distinct memories are they are conditioned emotional responses to past experiences. If you were almost hit by a car at some point, and now you are afraid of crossing the street, then that is due to your strong emotional memory of the event. My knowledge of the types of memories has aided my ability to understand where different types of memories are stored within the brain and how they come to exist. One of the things I always thought was interesting is the way the human brain processes experiences and turns them into memories. When I learned about this in class, I was actually experiencing the process myself. The first step in forming memories is to pay attention.

Attention is regulated by the thalamus and the frontal lobe of the brain. It is defined as selectively and actively noticing sensory input. Because we are constantly exposed to new sensory input, there is a constant battle of what to pay attention to. Majority of the sensory input we are subject to is ignored by the brain in order to allow room for useful sensory input. After attention has been given, processing occurs. Input is received by the brain via our sensory organs, sent to the hippocampus, and sorted based on the type of input. Sensory information must be encoded in a way that will allow the brain to sort it. Some of the types of coding are auditory and visual. In the case of visual encoding, input is typically stored in our 'iconic memory' for a brief period of time before storage in the long term memory. This allows the amygdala, which is pictured in Figure 1 along with the other parts of the brain, to analyze the image and determine the positive andnegative values of it. Then it becomes a matter of chemicals. The way the brain ends messages is through synapses, the points at which nerve cells connect to one another.

Electrical pulses travel between nerve cells, carrying messages. When these pulses fire, chemicals known as neurotransmitters are released and attach themselves to nearby cells. These connections are what we perceive as memories. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in memory formation, and damage can result in an inability to form new memories of any type. Different types of memories are stored in their own parts of the brain. Semantic memories are stored in the frontal and temporal lobes. Procedural memories are stored within the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that deals with valance and coordination. Episodic memories are stored within the frontal To me, memory seemed to be the perfect school-related concept to write about. I believe this because I was required to utilize my memories in order to even think about writing the paper. By experiencing the formation of semantic memories of my psychology class and then recalling the information now, I was able to experience everything I've covered in this essay first hand and enhance my overall understanding. It has become apparent to me that memories truly never die, only slumber until recall is attempted.