Notes On Retrieval Induced Forgetting

Memory is the process of encoding, storing and retrieving information in the brain. It plays an import role in our daily life. Without memory, we cannot reserve past experience, learn new things and plan for the future. Human memory is usually analogous to computer memory. While unlike computer memory, human memory is a cognitive system. It does not encode and store everything correctly as we want. As suggested by Zimbardo, Johnson and Weber (2006), human memory takes information and selectively converts it into meaningful patterns. When remembering, we reconstruct the incident as we think it was (p. 263). Sometimes our memory performance is incredibly accurate and reliable. But errors and mistakes are more commonly happen, because we do

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

The stage of skill acquisition in which a skill no longer relies on conscious effort is the:

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).

can be interfered with and that memory is not stored passively as it is often perceived to be.

It is very common to hear people from various age groups talk about how they feel like their memory is failing them, as they are getting older. They then begin hypothesizing that they could be suffering from early onset dementia, which then causes them to panic. A famous dramatist of ancient Greece by the name of Aeschylus once said, “Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” This quote highlights the importance of memory for it represents a part of history and provides one with a sense of past. That is important for many reasons especially for making one’s future stronger since future always takes off from the past. Hence, people’s fear of memory loss is something understandable for they cannot imagine their memory quitting them moreover the daunting effect it will have on them. Unfortunately, 47.5 million people worldwide suffer from

Neurobiological studies show that both suppression and recall and the creation of false memories are possible. (Kandel, 1994) In this paper both sides of the debate will be analyzed and evaluated.

Memory in the human brain is a complex process which is easier understood by the use of theoretical constructs. Memories begin as sensory stimuli which become sensory memory which only last about one second, from there it moves into working memory which lasts for about twenty to thirty seconds and is used to process information. Within working memory there are a few separate processes, the central executive which directs attention, the episodic buffer which is a secondary storage lasting ten to twenty seconds, this area communicates with long term memory as well as the central executive. The visuospatial sketchpad which is used to visualise visual and spacial

The Retrieval-induced Forgetting in an Eyewitness Paradigm article is based on an experiment done to test retrieval- induced forgetting. Even though research was done on this topic before, the authors took it one step forward to either prove or deny the theory of retrieval-induced forgetting. They wanted to see if repeated questioning would impact a witnesses’ ability to recall certain events or even specific details. This was done by showing subjects different slides of the aftermath of theft. They were then asked to recall selected details of what they saw several different times. Previous experiments have proven that there are both positive and negative effects to addressing

The functional domains that lie within the province of retrograde memory need to be clearly specified. During a person’s lifetime we build up an enormous store of knowledge, experience, and skills. The article states that “Until recent years, it has most commonly been used to refer to the loss of memory for events that had preceded

Amnesia is common recognized psychological problem in daily life and according to Talmi, Caplan, Richards, and Moscovitch (2015), amnesia is usually thought as abilities’ loss in long-term memory regardless of intact of short-term memory. In other words, some people suffer from the amnesia related with the impairment of short-term memory and the others suffer from the amnesia related with the impairment of long-term memory. Those amnesias can happen not only by physical wound, but also psychological trauma. For example, “A 34-year-old man without past history of any psychiatric or neurological disorder developed severe anterograde amnesia following a psychological trauma” (KUMAR, RAO, SUNNY, &GANGADHAR, 2007). When it comes to sorts of amnesias,

Scientists still to this day are studying whether long-term memories are fully lost. The purpose of human memory is to use past events to help guide their future actions, however; the human brain does not maintain perfect information of the past and is not reliable information. “The human brain can easily create false memories due to a misinterpretation of an event” (Carter 2009). “The chief explanations for forgetting include interference, retrieval failure, and constructive processes” (Loftus 2016). Memory interference happens when the remembering of specific material learned in the past blocks the memory formation of other new learned material. Human often experience having information “on the tip of their tongue” but are unable to recall

Retrieval failure, this theory indicates that when information is stored in the memory [long term] and

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.

Central idea: Memory is a process of the brain which is prone to certain failures, although specific steps can be taken to guard against these failures.