IMPORTANT COGNITION: MEMORY
Memory helps us maintain continuity in life. This is because it includes my experiences. If the trace and effect of the experience can be hidden, they are reflected in our behavior. Thus, continuity is ensured. This important competence allows our personality to be formed. The person who cannot hide his/her experiences does not have capable of forming his/her personality. That person also constitutes one of the basic building blocks of memory learning. Behavior change, which tends to be permanent based on experience, is called learning. Thus, it forms the basis of memory learning.
Memory is generally the process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information. We classify memory in terms of time and content. These three basic types of memory are called Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory and Long-Term Memory. Sensory memory is the first phase that stores information for seconds. This allows recording, coding. Information and images may be lost as soon as the attention shifts to other points.
The secondary memory is Short-term memory. The information is kept for 15-30 seconds. It can hold up to 5-7 pieces of limited information. Thanks to methods such as continuous repetition – for example, constantly repeating a phone number in order not to forget it at that moment and keeping it in our minds for a while - and clustering – remembering similar pieces of information by clustering them – it can be extended for a while for the information, the image to remain in the short-term memory.
The Repetition also helps information move and store into long-term memory. In this way, information moves from short-term memory to long-term memory. Long-term memory can hold a lot of information for many years and acts as an archive. The information stored here is removed from the archive to recall when necessary. Long-term memory is divided into as explicit and implicit memory. We consciously remember our information in the explicit memory. The Explicit memory consists of episodic memory and information, which includes personal experiences, and semantic memory, which includes phenomena. The information in our semantic memory also affects our episodic memory.
In implicit memory, which is another part of long-term memory, is divided into Preparation Memory, Operational Memory, and Conditioning. Procedural Memory contains information on how skills and tasks will be. It is also referred to as Skill memory. It allows us to display our skills without thinking. For example, the ability of riding a bicycle. We don't relearn cycling every time because the skill is enrolled in procedural memory. Well-learned procedural require no attention for memory and skills, and action is automatized. Preparation is when the response to a previously exposed reaction changes the response to another reaction. Finally, conditioning refers to classical conditioning. That is, a neutral stimulus that previously had no effect acquires new properties when paired with a new stimulus that causes a response.
Memory can be damaged in many diseases such as Alzheimer's, depression, schizophrenia and OCD. Many brain regions, including the hippocampus, play an active role in memory cognition.
As we understand from Elizabeth Loftus's car accident experiment, memory cognition, which is very important for our lives, may not be as perfect in healthy people as we think. We can remember as if we've done a lot of things we haven't done, we have had the childhood memories we didn't live through. This can cause major problems not only in our daily life, also in matters such as witnessing in judicial processes.
REFERENCES
E. Bruce Goldstein, (2004). Cognitive Psychology. Cengage Learning 3rd ed.
F. Sayar (2011).Autobiagraphic Memory and Variables Affecting Autobiographical Memory. The Social Science Journal.
Ali Osman E., Mustafa C., Sibel G. (2008). Long Term Memory and Learning. The Social Science Journal.
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