Memory is a process that takes place in the human psyche, due to which the mapping, saving and accumulation of material is carried out. In psychology, the definition of memory is the ability of the brain to remember, recreate and store experience. This process enables a person to recall events and experiences of the past time, consciously thinking about his values in his personal history, as well as comprehend the emotions and feelings associated with this.
This process helps the person to become able to expand his own cognitive abilities. The functions of memory in psychology have a complex structure, which consists of processes that ensure the perception of information and its fixation. This is a very complex process in which the accumulation, perception, systematization, storage and instant reproduction of information obtained once is carried out.
Memory
This is the definition of an individual's ability to remember, forget, reproduce, and store personal experience information. This property helps a person to instantly move in time and space. There are various theories in which there is a personal view of this concept. Association is a key concept in associative theory. It implements in memory the connection of parts of the obtained material. When a person remembers something, he seeks a connection between these materials, as well as those that need to be reproduced.
Associative laws of memory in psychology: similarity, contrast and adjacency. The similarity is manifested in a catchy material, which is then reproduced through communication with similar similar material. Contrast occurs if the material to be memorized is dramatically different from the material being stored. Adjacency is expressed in the fact that the incoming material is remembered due to the previous material.
Kinds
This is a multi-level and multi-functional process. Such complexity implies the emergence of several of its species. Consider the classification of memory in psychology.
Figurative memory
Shaped memory is a process of remembering images formed on the basis of data from sensory systems. The functions of memory in psychology in the figurative process:
- visual (fixing images of people or objects with which there was often contact);
- taste (various tastes that once a person felt);
- auditory (sounds that a person once heard);
- olfactory (smells with which an individual can associate a certain memory);
- tactile (tangential sensations reminiscent of people or objects).
Motor memory
Considering the properties of memory in psychology, it is also worth mentioning motor. This is the kind by which a person learns to memorize a dance, control a bicycle, swim, play games, make various appropriate movements and any labor activity.
Emotional memory
This memory has the following psychological properties : the ability to remember experiences of fear, feelings, remember emotions, as well as their relativity to a specific situation at a particular moment. If a person did not have such a mental process, he would become “emotionally dumb” (determining the state of an individual in which he looks uninteresting, unattractive to others, a robot-like object). The ability to express emotions is the basis of mental health.
Implicit
This is the memory of an adult and a child for unconscious information. In this case, memorization occurs regardless of consciousness, it is closed and inaccessible to direct observation. This process is carried out with the need to find a solution in a certain situation, but then even the knowledge that a person has is not amenable to awareness. An example of this process is that in the process of socialization, a person perceives the norms of society absolutely, and in his behavior is guided by them, without being aware of the theoretical principles.
Explicit memory
In this case, such a definition of memory is applicable in psychology - this is the conscious use of the knowledge gained. They are recalled, retrieved when there is a need to solve a specific problem using this knowledge. This process can be arbitrary and involuntary. In the last process, the images leave traces that arose automatically, unconsciously. This memorization is developed more in childhood, it weakens with age.
Verbal-logical memory
This is a memory, in psychology, the definition of which is divided into thoughts, judgments and words. It also happens to be logical and mechanistic. The latter includes the memorization of the material due to its regular repetition, when there is no awareness of the meaning of the information. Logical constitutes a connection within the meaning of memorized objects. There are 2 types of memory beyond the level of understanding of memorized material: explicit and implicit.
Arbitrary memory
Free memory is a definition in psychology that is responsible for purposefully remembering an image. Regarding the duration in time, it is divided into short-term, instant, long-term, operational.
Instant memory
It is also called sensory, expressed in the retention of information that was perceived by sensory analyzers. In turn, it is divided into echoic and iconic.
Echo memory
This is post-memory. It contains images of some 2-3 seconds after the auditory stimulus arose.
Iconic
It is a specific sensory recorder of visual stimuli. With it, information is recorded in a general form. Man never distinguishes between environmental objects and iconic memory. If iconic information is supplanted by another type of information, the visual sensation becomes more receptive. If the material arrives to a person too quickly, there is a layering of information over the one that is still in memory, and has already passed into long-term memory. This is called the reverse masking effect.
Short-term memory
Often, when conducting a memory test, it is a matter of short duration. It helps to remember images after a short, one-time perception of them and instant reproduction. In this process, the total number of stimuli that are perceived, as well as the physical nature, is important, but their information load is not taken into account.
This memory has a formula, it determines the number of stored objects. It sounds like "7 ± 2". When a person is shown stimulus material with an image of a certain number of objects, he is able to memorize from them five or nine objects in 30 seconds.
Biological
Biological (genetic) memory is explained by the mechanism of heredity. This refers to a person’s possession of certain behavioral patterns characteristic of people in the early periods of evolution, which is demonstrated in instincts and reflexes.
Long-term memory
It can store traces of images for a long time and makes it possible to use them later in future activities. Due to such memorization, a person can accumulate knowledge that he can then extract. This can be done at will or with the help of hypnosis when interfering with the brain and memory.
Depending on the research target activity, there are special types of this mental process: episodic, biological, reproductive, associative, autobiographical, reconstructive.
Memory training
Training takes place at a time when people don’t even notice it, which is what numerous books on psychology and memory tell us about. Perceptions related to remembering the list of products to be purchased at the store, dates of birth, names of acquaintances - all this is considered a workout. At the same time, there are more specific exercises for development that contribute to the best memorization, as well as focusing on the development of such abilities. If memory develops, other mental processes (perception, thinking, attention) develop along with it.
Memory Mechanisms in Psychology
Known memory mechanisms are divided into semantic (logical) and mechanical.
Logical is aimed at the meaning of the information received. At the same time, enhanced work of thinking is proposed. The second type of memorization is associated with the form of information received: sounds, words, images. The semantic content of the material does not completely lose its meaning when memorizing its meaning, but departs as if to the background.
This is memorization of movements, text of a poem, phone numbers. It is worth noting that in practical activities it is difficult to distinguish between mechanical and logical memorization. This is clearly seen in the most popular method of memorization - repetition.
Today there are a huge number of memory tests that you can always take online. There are exercises for its development, the most common of which we will describe in the article.
Development in adult memory
Exercises can be very different. Schulte tables are considered to be a particularly popular exercise , which contribute to the development of attention, peripheral vision, visual memory, speed reading and observation. Vision, looking for numbers that go sequentially, captures only a few cells, thus the place of the necessary cell, as well as the cells of the remaining numbers, is remembered.
The development of photographic memory
Such an exercise according to the Aivazovsky method is to look at a specific object for 5 minutes. Next, you need to close your eyes and restore the image of this object in your head very clearly. In addition, these images can be drawn, which will only help improve the effectiveness of the exercise. It should be performed from time to time so that the visual memory develops well.
"The game of matches"
This exercise helps to train visual memory. To do this, put 5 matches on the table, and for a long time at their location, then turn away, take 5 more matches and try to recreate the location of those that you managed to remember on another surface.
"Roman room"
This exercise helps to develop the ability to structure the information received, while visual memory is also trained with it. You should remember the sequence of various objects, their color, details, shapes. As a result, visual memory is trained and more information is remembered.
There are also exercises aimed at training auditory memory.
Exercises for its development in adults must obey strict rules. The initial exercise is reading aloud. The peculiarities of memory in psychology are distinguished by the fact that when a person voices material that he has memorized, he develops his own vocabulary, improves intonation, diction, improves the ability to give brightness and emotional coloring to his speech. In addition, the auditory components of the read are better remembered. You need to read easily, as if you are just talking.
There are some rules: you need to pronounce the words clearly, with a certain arrangement, pronouncing each word expressively, do not “eat up” the ending, pronounce the text as if it were the words of a speaker or diplomat who expresses his thoughts on a serious issue. Moreover, if, following the rules, read at least 10 minutes daily, after only one month you can notice good results in auditory memory and oratorical abilities.
Learning poems daily is an easy and good way to practice. Studying a poem, you should understand its meaning, as well as highlight the techniques used by the author.
Auditory memory develops well through eavesdropping. Once in a place full of people (on the street or in transport), you need to focus on the conversation between other people, to comprehend the information, trying to remember it. Then, upon arriving home, speak the conversations you heard with the corresponding intonation, and also recall the expression on the faces of those people who spoke. Exercising in this way very often, you can learn to perceive the text fluently by ear, become much more sensitive and attentive to tone and intonation.
In today's world, almost everyone is used to the fact that they always have a tablet, phone, organizer on hand, where the necessary information is stored and which you can always peek there. Work, overloading of the process of memorization with unnecessary information, inability to systematize this information leads to weakening of the development of memory. A good example is a scout who cannot save a map on his phone, an operation plan, he does not have time to scroll through a notebook. All the necessary information should be stored in his head, any details in order to reproduce them clearly at the right time.
Memory development
This is a huge plus personality of a person at work and in everyday life. The study of memory in psychology is appreciated by the fact that in most professions it is a huge advantage, which helps to achieve great achievements at work and take on greater responsibility. There are certain ways suitable for developing this process. To remember something, you need to focus on the material itself, on the process. It is necessary to comprehend information, to look for parallels in it regarding one's experience. The more likely it is to establish this connection, the better memorization will be.
If you need to remember a certain element, for example, phone, name, number, do not immediately rush to the Internet or notepad for an answer. Within two minutes, you need to abstract from the external, look into the depths of your own brain and try to remember it yourself.
If you need to remember something important, you should recreate in your head some kind of image regarding this, a very vivid association. The brain is much easier to remember something original, making it easier to remember the necessary thing. In order to make it easier to remember numbers, you should break them into groups, or create associations, as in the previous method.
An effective method of development is considered to be a simulator that develops cognitive abilities, which is called the “Wikium project”.
In order to remember something well, it is necessary, after perceiving the information, to say it, then to retell it to someone, it will be much easier to remember, and also to better understand the meaning of what was said.
A simple method is to solve simple arithmetic problems in the mind.
In addition, scrolling through the events of the day in the head is considered an easy way to develop memorization. It is advisable to do this before bedtime at the end of the day, recreating all the episodes and details, experiences, feelings, emotions. In addition, you should evaluate your own actions and deeds.
Understanding the meaning of the text requires effective memorization. It is very disadvantageous to memorize material mechanically without retelling it.
To effectively develop memory, you should accustom yourself to repeat all new information. Initially, you will need to repeat many times to remember, after which the brain will be very developed in order to memorize information faster.