Forget Me Not....
Have you ever walked into a parking lot and felt clueless about where you parked? Why is it that we forget things? Let's examine the memory system!
In the video above, short-term and long-term memory are briefly described, but the memory system is not a simple process.
Early research in memory formation led to the misconception that memories are "temporarily" stored as short-term memory and then consolidated into long-term memories. Advanced research in cognitive psychology has proven that the consolidation process differs. The memory system is divided into three functions; sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Sensory memory retains what a person hears or sees; short-term memory is determined by selective attention of the information acquired through the visual and auditory senses; long-term memory is a relatively permanent storage of information and information is stored based on the meaning and importance of the information.
So how does this memory formation process explain why we forget simple things such as where you parked or where you left your keys?
Elizabeth Loftus, a well-known memory researcher, has identified four reasons why we forget: retrieval failure, interference, failure to store and motivated forgetting.
- Retrieval failure is basically being unable to retrieve a memory. For example, imagine you were carrying a bag with you while walking out the door. Then, while sitting inside your car, you realize the bag you were holding was nowhere to be found. You step our of your car and just cannot seem to know where you left the bag. After a couple of minutes of intense search, you realize you "forgot" you had stepped into your room and had place your bag on your bed. Sure enough, you walk into your room and alas, there is the bag! You just completely forgot!
- Interference suggests that new memories compete with previous memories. This mainly occurs when information of new memory is fairly similar to previously stored information.
- Failure to store a memory is basically the notion that a memory NEVER made it into long-term memory.
- And, motivated forgetting suggests that we may actively work to forget certain events, information, or experiences. This is particularly notable after a traumatic or disturbing event or experience.
Although these four reasons may not answer the question "Why we forget things?", it is important to understand the memory system is quite complex.
Yes! Many times have I walked into a parking lot and have not had any idea where I could of parked my car. It's horrible! As I was reading about the 4 reasons we forget, the 4 reasons made perfect sense which is why I liked your post. It made it easy to understand some of the reasons we forget.
ReplyDeleteMy memory professor describes memory as a computer system if one part of it fails, than it all comes apart. Without being able to input there is no output and while it seems simple we pay people hundreds of dollars a day to create these machines and we're just lucky enough to be born with a built in system of remembering because it would be impossible to learn without being able to hold onto data.
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