Disney's Episodic Memory

In “Two Amazing Tales of Memory” Mr.S has extraordinary memory,he didn’t know this until he wanted to test his memory, so he went to a psychologist named Dr.Alexander Luria. Dr.Luria studied Mr.S for 30 years! He tested how many listed he can remember Mr.S started at thirty, to fifty, then soon to seventy five letters,numbers, and even words. In the text the author states that “He uses powerful mnemonic strategies.” Meaning that Mr.S uses pictures and location to help him remember long lists.

- “Episodic memory is defined as the conscious retrieval of personal experiences occurring within a specific context”

Throughout our lives, we definitely have gone through a lot of experiences and made memories. Some of the memories are easily forgotten, while some others are remembered distinctively, vividly and can be recollected confidently. This is called the flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memory is like a very clear picture of a particularly impactful event which had caused one to be affected emotionally. For example, I remember this performance that my school choir was performing. It was during Christmas season and we decided to spray bubble foam to portray fake snow. However, the plan backfired when the wind blew at our direction and all the foam flew back to us. This was remembered very clearly because I was embarrassed and had experienced something so

|  Episodic memory is recollection of specific events;  Semantic memory is the recollection of general knowledge and facts.

It was Christmas Eve. My brothers and I sat on the livingroom floor. The Christmas tree lights dimly lit the room. We sat around my mother who was sitting on the couch while my Father was looking for The Night Before Christmas

would describe and compare my memory to the named fish named Dory from the Disney movie “Finding Nemo”. It’s funny because the only thing she remembered was that one address and I have a smart phone and I don’t even remember addresses or phone numbers anymore. In regards to papers, lab assignments, and test, I feel as if I actually take part in the practice problems that prepare me for these task , but when presented with the actual activity It’ll be hard for me to remember. Luckily, I have a 2 foot by 3 foot calendar hanging on my wall to help assist me with remembering dates. I also add bill, and assignment due dates. Life consists of many things and I realized my memory is selective, I remember a lot of dates that benefit me when t comes to having fun. I find that my memory is reliant on visual aids, and I’ll put a reminder in my calendar if it’s really important.

Some scientists believe that parts of long term memory are permanent while others will eventually weaken over time. (3) Long term memory can be divided into three sections: procedural memory, declarative memory, and remote memory. Procedural memory includes motor skills such as learning how to ride a bike or how to drive a car. "Such memories are slow to acquire but more resistant to change or loss." (4) Declarative memory is used to remember facts, such as names, dates and places. It is easy to learn but also easy to lose. Finally there is episodic memory, which is the record of events that a person stores throughout his or her experience. Recent studies show that these events, as soon as they occur, are sent to a temporary part of the brain called the hippocampus, and that over time they are moved to the neocortex for permanent storage. (5).

My favorite Disney Memory is the first time I visited Disneyland at Los Angeles, California. I was in 4th grade and I went with my mom and aunt. I absolutely loved very character walking down the street and dancing. I really loved the Haunted Mansion attraction; it was one of the best. The best thing I’ve seen was the midnight parade with the fireworks and the musical show they perform. It really made me happy and makes me happy now of just thinking about it.

A flashbulb memory is “a detailed and vivid memory that is stored on one occasion and retained for a lifetime. Usually, such memories are associated with important historical or autobiographical events.” (memorylossonline.com) In the article, Brown and Kulik defined the flashbulb memory as a “vividly detailed memory of the circumstances under which one first learned of a surprising, consequential, emotionally involving event”. Flashbulb memories is the situation when our mind “taking a picture” of what is happening around us. Those memories etched in our brains,

Some historians still consider 1968 as one of the most tumultuous and convulsive years in American history since World War II. The Tet offensive was implemented in response to the Vietnam War, countercultural groups were reaching their peaks, and both presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. Sites that honor the memories of 1968 were given numerous forms in order to preserve the year in the way those present remembered it. Each form of preservation has some physical build. Some sites include a raised fist to symbolize the Black Panther Party’s uprising, the Fair Housing Act that represents the government’s stance

What did you have for breakfast today? What did you have for dinner this day a year ago? If asked these questions, most people would be able to answer the first, but have trouble answering the second accurately. Memory is not perfect, and it does not last forever. However, there are a select few individuals that have an ability to recall specific autobiographical details from across their lifetime, thus answering the second question would not be difficult at all. They are classified as having an ability called highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). HSAM is a relatively recent discovery, so there are a lot of questions surrounding the condition. However, researchers have made progress in discovering the nature of HSAM, possible links

I tap my fingers against my keyboard in consternation. Tap, tap, tap, the keyboard taunts, tap, tap, tap. What are you going to write about? Tap, tap, tap. Staring blindly at the white screen of my Word document, my eyes glisten over with the mist of memories playing one after another in my head, like a never-ending movie. What to write about… I have been sitting here for twenty minutes so far, and nothing. Not one word of the start of a sentence. Not one punctuation point. Not one thought that could make this a good story. Scratch that. Twenty-one minutes. My frustration began to dwindle away as I began to concentrate.

Have you ever wondered how you can remember things so easily sometimes without hesitation? Your brain is made up of millions of different chemicals and processes to create these memories. Psychologist Margaret W. Matlin describes memory as the “process of retaining information over time” (Zimmermann). This process includes encoding, storing, retaining and then recalling thoughts. Without our memory we would be lost not knowing where you are in time, endlessly moving forward. Memory is essential for almost everything you do day by day, consider for a moment how much you rely on your memory to help you function just in one day such as using your phone, test answers or as simple as eating (Cherry).

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.

On the morning of December 25th, 2010, I was a twelve-year old boy. Waking up on Christmas morning was something I had been looking forward to for a few weeks. I was beyond excited to see what presents I had gotten from my parents. There was nothing better than getting to see what new toys I would have to play with. I woke up around 7 A.M. and ran into my parent’s room to wake them up so we could open our presents; while I was jumping for joy, they were half awake and trying to get out of bed before I pulled them out myself. After they finally got out of bed we went into the living room. This is where we have always opened presents on Christmas Day. In my family, it has always been a tradition to open all of our gifts on Christmas morning. I sat on the couch with my mom, my two dogs with us, and my dad sat in