The brain is a complex system, and humans are constantly exposed to different things and experiences that need to be retained. But how does it choose which memories to retain and how does it retain in the first place?
Adaptive Memory: The Comparative Value of Survival Processing (Nairne, Pandeirada, Thompson)
The human brain is often biased towards different subjects. The limbic system is the beginning of the memorization process, and it allows for both memorization and learning. (Cretu, Simona-Mariana, 2013) The first experiment was used to observe survival-based processing by putting test subjects through 5 different scenarios. (Nairne, J. S., Pandeirada, J. S., & Thompson, S. R., 2008) The human mind often retain things regarding survival. When put into a survival based scenario, things such as food-objects and objects needed to survive were much more retainable then personal experiences and pleasantness. The survival scenario was where one must survive in a stranded grassland in a foreign land. The test subjects were given a list of words, and was asked to rate the words by relevancy to the situation on a scale of 1(totally irrelevant) to 5(extremely relevant). The second task was to rate the pleasantness of each word based on the scale of 1 (totally unpleasant) to 5 (extremely pleasant). The third task focused on imagery. The test subject was asked to rate a list of words based on the difficulty of recalling mental images on a scale of 1(low imagery) to 5 (high
“Information flows from the outside world through our sight, hearing smelling, tasting and touch sensors. Memory is simply ways we store and recall things we 've sensed.” When we recall memories, the original neuron path that we used to sense the experience that we are recalling is refined, and the connection is made stronger. Sensory information in stored for only a few seconds in the cortex of the brain. This information can then progress to short-term memory, and then long-term memory, depending on the importance of the information received.
Memory is a set of cognitive processes that allow us to remember past information (retrospective memory) and future obligations (prospective memory) so we can navigate our lives. The strength of our memory can be influenced by the connections we make through different cognitive faculties as well as by the amount of time we spend devoting to learning specific material across different points in time. New memories are created every time we remember specific event, which results in retrospective memories changing over time. Memory recall can be affected retrospectively such as seeing increased recall in the presence of contextual cues or false recall of information following leading questions. Memory also includes the process
This is very interesting, also when you say survival stress do you also mean flight or fight mode? If so how does this play a role in our survival and overall stress? Also what about the other survival mechanism where an individual is said to freeze in fear? When my sister use to sneak out at night and my mother use to catch her, she use to severly freeze and I also sometimes do so even when I am not in any real danger. Why is
Memory is the internal representation of an event or experience and is a constructive process that organizes and shapes information. Memory allows people to learn from personal experiences and learn to adapt and respond to the changing environment. Memory plays a critical role in learning processes. Memory allows for information storage and retrieval of information previously learned. Memory and learning are interdependent in that memory exists because of previous learning, and learning needs memory to create connections and build upon learned knowledge. Research confirms that acute stress affects memory. The techniques used to learn material affects the strength of memory against the effects of stress. Researchers Amy M. Smith, Victoria A.
The purpose of this study was to test context-dependent memory, which refers to a pattern where recall is improved when the environment of recall is the same as the environment of learning. To study context-dependent memory, psychologists conducted two experiments. One experiment required divers to learn a list of words either underwater or on land. These divers then had to recall the list of words either in the same environment or the alternative environment. The second experiment tested whether the disruption caused by changing environments influences recall. Two groups of divers learned a list of words on land, changed environments, and returned to land to recall the list of words. These results were compared to the results of two groups of divers who learned the list on land and recalled the list on land without interference.
Courage also was a big factor in their survival. Courage, the ability to do something that frightens one. The characters in Unbroken had to have lots of courage to do a lot of the things needed for survival. This involves battling sharks and dodging bullets from above. "Louie waited until the shark was inches from him, then struck it in the nose" (page 155). This takes a lot of courage to get in the water and hit a shark, especially since it is much stronger than a human. Louie also knew that if he didn't hit the shark, then it would've killed him and possibly the rest of the crew. In this journey the crew struggles for food, they were constantly hungry, and at risk of dying. "Louie clapped his hands around the tail and heaved it out
Whenever you learn something new or you experience something, it's encoded in your brain, and it's encoded by subtle changes in the strength of connections between neurons. For example, one study showed that the white matter in an adults' brains changed as they learned how to juggle over a period of several months. "They found that if you scan [the brains of] adults before they learn how to juggle, and then three months later, you can see changes in the brain structure," (Dumontheil).
One of the worst things that can happen in a survival situation is not being prepared. There are two ways you can not be prepared the first is with knowledge the second is not being supplied. When one is not prepared the elements can quickly take their life. Depending on what part of the world you are in animals can are a large danger. Hear are some examples the rattlesnake,bobcat,mountain lion and coyotes. If this is not scary enough then consider starving or dying of dehydration. One way to fix all of this is to be prepared with knowledge. What i mean if you know how to use the great outdoors to your advantage it can help you to survive. A example of this is making a shelter and fire with nothing but bear hand and a shoelace. This is the only solution to not being prepared
Research has shown that there is “greater activation in the left inferior frontal and medial temporal lobes” (Stanford, 2006, p. 208) during the encoding of words which were later remembered as compared to those which were forgotten. The sensations perceived by sensory nerves are decoded in the hippocampus of the brain into a single experience (Mastin, 2010). The hippocampus analyses new information and compares and asssociates it with previously stored memory (Mastin, 2010). Human memory is associative in that new information can be remembered better if it can be associated to previously acquired, firmly consolidated information (Mastin, 2010). The various pieces of information are then stored in different parts of the brain (Mastin, 2010). Though the exact method by which this information is later identified and recalled has yet to be discovered, it is understood that ultra-short term sensory memory is converted into short term memory which can then later be consolidated into long term memory (Mastin, 2010).
One can never forget their first kindergarten field trip, or the way your grandma’s house smells, your favorite song, or your first love, but how do we store and remember so many memories throughout our lifespan, in our brain? A memory is a “faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information”, but how? Memories are stored in direct braincells and brain structures, which allow us to remember our memories. Some memories can depend on one single molecule for their life long remembrance, and replay of episodes. Memories are stored in two ways, short term memory and long-term memory. These three different stages of memory allow us to take in and handle each little thing we learn in just one day. They keep us sane.
Memory is a cognitive function of the brain that is often taken for granted. Memory may have many purposes, but most importantly it is essentially a record of an entire life span. From this perspective memory is the most important aspect of consciousness. Unfortunately, through formal experimentation it has been shown that memory is fairly inaccurate, inconsistent, and often influenced by our own experiences as well as the bias of others. Memory is not only affected during an observed event, but there are instances where memory can be influenced after an event as well. There are also instances where memory can be affected retroactively due to personal experiences and biases. Incorrectly recalling the memories of one’s life is usually not
Context-dependent memory is the concept that things are often best recalled in the same environment that they were learned. Smith and Vela (2001) provide four hypotheses as to how context-dependent memory works. They appear as follows; “reinstatement” is the idea that memory is better when testing occurs in a reinstated environment as opposed to a different environment (Smith & Vela, 2001) and this is true across all studies (Smith & Vela, 2001), “outshining” implies that non contextual cues when used for guiding memory often diminish or eliminate the effects of contextual cues (Smith & Vela, 2001), “Overshadowing” is the concept that “if one’s incidental environmental context is suppressed during learning, then environmental information will not be encoded and stored in memory, thereby reducing or eliminating effects of experimenter-manipulated environments on memory” (Smith & Vela, 2001), and finally “mental reinstatement”
Learning is a very important aspect of humans and creatures alike. Not only is it essential to the survival and adaption into this world but it also defines who we are as individuals (Schiller et al, 2010; Tronson & Taylor, 2007). Memories from past experiences shape the people that we are today. A crucial element to learning is memory, without it we would not be able to retain information. The process of memory is very distinct and consists of several different stages: acquisition of memory, consolidation, retrieval and then either reconsolidation or extinction (Debiec & Ledoux, 2004; Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer & De Vries, 2008). As memory is such a critical aspect of learning, it is no wonder that its distinct process has become the topic of much research in the neurobiological universe (Hupbach et al, 2007; Nader & Hardt, 2009).
Prior to the early 1970s the prominent idea of how memories were formed and retrieved revolved around the idea of processing memory into specific stores (Francis & Neath, 2014). These memory stores were identified as sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. In contrast to this idea, two researchers named Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart proposed an idea linking the type of encoding to retrieval (Goldstein, 2015). This idea is known as the levels of processing theory. According to this theory, memory depends on the depth of processing that a given item is received by an individual (Goldstein, 2015). Craik and Lockhart stressed four points in supporting their theory. First, they argued that memory was the result of a series of analyses, each level of the series forming a deeper level of processing than the preceding level (Francis & Neath, 2014). The shallow levels of processing were believed to hold less importance and are defined as giving little attention to meaning of an item. Examples of which include focusing on how a word sounds or memorizing a phone number by repeating it over and over again (Francis & Neath, 2014) (Goldstein, 2015). The deeper levels processing involve paying close attention to the meaning of an item and relating that meaning to something else, an example of which would be focusing on the meaning of a word rather than just how the word sounds (Francis & Neath, 2014) (Goldstein, 2015). The second point Craik and Lockhart
Memory makes us. It is, to an extent, a collection of unique and personal experiences that we, as individuals, have amassed over our lifetime. It is what connects us to our past and what shapes our present and the future. If we are unable remember the what, when, where, and who of our everyday lives, our level of functioning would be greatly impacted. Memory is defined as or recognized as the “sum or total of what we remember.” Memory provides us the ability to learn and adjust to or from prior experiences. In addition, memory or our ability to remember plays an integral role in the building and sustaining of relationships. Additionally, memory is also a process; it is how we internalize and store our external environment and experiences. It entails the capacity to remember past experiences, and the process of recalling previous experiences, information, impressions, habits and skills to awareness. It is the storage of materials learned and/or retained from our experiences. This fact is demonstrated by the modification, adjustment and/or adaptation of structure or behavior. Furthermore, we as individuals, envision thoughts and ideas of the present through short-term memory, or in our working memory, we warehouse past experiences and learned values in long-term memory, also referred to as episodic or semantic memory. Most importantly, memory is malleable and it is intimately linked to our sense of identity and where we believe we belong in the world.