Memory is one of the most important terms in psychology. We often use this concept in everyday life. Memory in psychology is called mnemonic activity. This name has an interesting origin - by the name of the mother of nine muses and the goddess of memory of Mnemosyne. Ancient Greek mythology also attributes to this goddess the invention of light and speech. This article presents the characteristics of mnemonic processes, describes their forms and types.
Memory value
Memory is the link between the past, present and future of a person. It serves as the basis of mental activity. In addition, the mnemonic process is the most important condition for the life of each of us, our training and development. It was customary for some nations to erect monuments not to victories, but to defeats. This gave people more chances to stay alive in the future.
It should be noted that the mnemonic processes of memory do not “acquire” any new knowledge. They only reconstruct and organize everything that they “extract” other cognitive processes. This takes into account the needs and interests of the person. A distinctive feature of memory, as well as of the soul, is its orientation toward the future, that is, not what it once was, but what will be applied in the future. Therefore, scientists say that human memory, bringing diverse experience to unity, creates a unique and inimitable personality. In fact, to lose her means to lose everything.
Memory as a universal characteristic of matter
Mnemonic processes of memory are not the exclusive privilege of man. Various organisms have them at all levels of life. Memory is the universal ability of matter to store traces of past exposure. For example, our planet stores "memories" of events, processes and phenomena of the past.
The development of living organisms on Earth has led to the emergence of a qualitatively different ability: not only to save, but also to reproduce what once took place. It is difficult to question the fact that such memory is also characteristic of animals. Nevertheless, as shown by studies conducted by scientists, these organisms mnemonic processes are not separated from the processes of perception. This kind of memory manifests itself, firstly, as recognition in a collision with a particular object, and secondly, as images of perception, when a certain image continues to be seen, but not remembered. A similar memory, called eidetic, is inherent in peoples who are in the early stages of their development, as well as children. However, sometimes it is observed in adults.
The specifics of human memory, its study
Gradually, during the formation of man as a social being, the development of mnemonic processes took place. The memory was improved more and more, its new features arose. People have mnemonic processes that can not only record events of the past and reproduce them, but also relate the memories to a particular moment. This form of human memory appears as one grows older. A young child, whose age is two to three years, does not tend to relate his memories to the past, since concepts such as “tomorrow” or “yesterday” mean nothing to him.
Having begun to study the basic mnemonic processes, psychology became an experimental science. The methodology of the first studies was quite simple. A person was offered to memorize various materials: symbols, numbers, words (both meaningless and meaningful), etc. This helped researchers determine the laws of mnemonic processes.
The life and activity of each of us is diverse, therefore, there are quite a lot of forms of memory. Briefly consider the main ones.
Motor memory
This form of memory is the storage, storage and subsequent reproduction of various movements. This is the earliest kind of mnemonic process that occurs first and disappears later than the rest. Even after a thirty-year hiatus, a person can successfully play the piano, skate or ride a bicycle. The fact is that the main mnemonic processes of memory are responsible for these actions.
Emotional memory
It refers to feelings, feelings. Emotional memory is also an early form. What do you think is best remembered: negatively or positively emotional? Answer this question yourself, then ask others. The result of this survey will be the exact opposite answers.
The fact is that the quality of emotional experience (positive or negative) does not determine how long it will be stored in memory. Such general laws are involved here, according to which actual events related to the individual’s future have great chances to remain in his memory, no matter what they were. In addition, the psychological characteristics of this person are important. Some of us prefer to maintain positive experiences, while others prefer negative emotions.
Figurative memory
This memory is divided into visual, olfactory, tactile and auditory. The assignment to a particular category is determined by which analyzer is most involved in the perception of the material that needs to be preserved. The following simple connections (associations) are at the heart of creating figurative memory:
- adjacency, when two or more phenomena appearing in one space or at the same time are combined;
- by similarity (phenomena that have similar features);
- by contrast (opposite phenomena).
I must say that the bonds are not formed on their own. A person should actively participate in this process. First you need to identify them, then fix these connections in the image of perception, and only after that they become images of memory.
Verbal-logical memory
The contents of this form of the mnemonic process are thoughts that are expressed in a symbolic or verbal form and are presented in a specific logical structure. It is the orientation toward meaning, that is, to what is being said, that is characteristic of verbal-logical memory. Orientation to the form, that is, to how it is said, appears in two cases:
- mentally retarded children, as they seek to memorize the material verbatim, because they cannot understand its meaning;
- in people with a high development of intelligence, who so easily and quickly comprehend the meaning that they are able to see the beauty of form behind it.
As for the ways of organizing the mnemonic process, they are secondary. In other words, they first appear as mental operations and actions and only then are fixed (in the process of repetition), after which they become mnemonic actions that serve to organize internal experience and its transformation. Therefore, if a person who has already left adolescence wants to improve memory, he must engage in thinking, that is, the formation of various mental actions for which mnemonic processes are responsible.
In training, if the volume of material that needs to be memorized is large or if you need to hold a significant amount of information, a person resorts to the process of memorization. It represents memorization, the purpose of which is to preserve material in memory. Memorization is semantic, close to the text and verbatim. Researchers have found that repeating the material you want to remember is better some time after it has been perceived.
There are the following 4 basic mnemonic actions:
- Material grouping
- orientation in the material;
- the establishment of intergroup relations (relations) between the elements of this material;
- establishing intra-group relationships.
These actions are not aimed at securing and maintaining. They are needed primarily for playback. There are complex semantic associations that verbal-logical memory uses . They connect phenomena that are characterized by a unity of origin, functioning, etc. Such relations of the part and the whole, kind and kind, cause and effect appear that are not given directly in perception. It is necessary to carry out appropriate mental work, which will highlight these connections and fix them.
Other grounds for classification
In addition to the various forms of memory listed above, there are also types of mnemonic processes that are distinguished by the following criteria: the presence of a goal, methods and means of memorization, as well as the storage time of information. The most common division is the latter. We briefly describe the main types of memory by the time information is stored.
Sensory memory
This is a type of mnemonic process that takes place at the receptor level. Information is stored for about a quarter of a second. It is this time that is necessary in order for the higher parts of the brain to turn their attention to it. If this does not happen, the information is erased, after which the new data takes its place.
Short-term memory
The next type of memory is short-term. This mnemonic process is characterized by a small volume, which is 7 ± 2 elements. The storage time is also insignificant (approximately 5-7 minutes). When grouping elements, an increase in the amount of short-term memory is possible: it does not matter for her, it will be seven phrases or seven letters. A person, trying to save information for a longer period, begins to repeat it.
RAM
Random access memory is a mnemonic process related to the current activity of a person. Therefore, the time and amount of information storage in this case is determined by the need for this activity. For example, a person in solving problems remembers what its digital conditions are. When he solves it, he forgets about it.
Intermediate memory
Intermediate memory is a mnemonic process necessary to store information that was accumulated during the day. The body during night sleep "restores order." He categorizes the information that has been accumulated, distributes it: the unnecessary is deleted, and the rest goes to long-term memory. This work requires at least 3 hours, then the intermediate memory is ready for work again. In a person who sleeps less than three hours, attention is reduced, mental operations are disturbed, errors in speech appear.
Long-term memory
And finally, long-term memory is a mnemonic process, the volume of which and the shelf life of information in it have not yet been determined. A person stores only the data that he needs, and for the period for which it is necessary. Only in long-term memory is there both information to which a person has conscious access, and data to which he does not have access under ordinary conditions. In order to get it, you need to work hard.