Aspects of memory
Porumbeanu Andra-Irina
Aspects of memory
The way in which the human mind functions has always held a place among the most controversial issues, highly debated across the world. Mainly due to their very complex nature, some of the brain’s processes have not yet been fully understood and explained. The memory is probably the most fascinating of them all because of the vast number of factors involved in creating a single piece of information which has to be stored for a short or long term. It is a truth universally acknowledged that even the simple acts (like drinking water) require several perceptual operations (seeing, feeling, smelling, etc.) in order to develop into a memory. Not only do we use our physical senses to acquire a memory but we also compare the given situation with past experience. The brain is in a continuous process of making connections and classifications.
First of all, people may play with their perception by giving a positive twist to a bad situation thus helping themselves overcome it more easily and having something good to remember. For example, the sight and sound of a hurried ambulance make one immediately think of an accident. In such cases, doctors advise their patients to try and replace the distressing image with that of a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital.
Secondly, if we take into account the fact that we cannot be completely sure about anything, when it comes to remembering moments, we are left with a big question: what is real and what is imagined? “Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them, or they may only have dreamed or imagined they did so.” 1 (William James)
As much as we would like to believe that our memory is flawless and everything we remember corresponds to actual happenings, there is psychological evidence that it [memory] can be easily manipulated by external factors such as persons or institutions of
Aspects of memory
The way in which the human mind functions has always held a place among the most controversial issues, highly debated across the world. Mainly due to their very complex nature, some of the brain’s processes have not yet been fully understood and explained. The memory is probably the most fascinating of them all because of the vast number of factors involved in creating a single piece of information which has to be stored for a short or long term. It is a truth universally acknowledged that even the simple acts (like drinking water) require several perceptual operations (seeing, feeling, smelling, etc.) in order to develop into a memory. Not only do we use our physical senses to acquire a memory but we also compare the given situation with past experience. The brain is in a continuous process of making connections and classifications.
First of all, people may play with their perception by giving a positive twist to a bad situation thus helping themselves overcome it more easily and having something good to remember. For example, the sight and sound of a hurried ambulance make one immediately think of an accident. In such cases, doctors advise their patients to try and replace the distressing image with that of a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital.
Secondly, if we take into account the fact that we cannot be completely sure about anything, when it comes to remembering moments, we are left with a big question: what is real and what is imagined? “Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them, or they may only have dreamed or imagined they did so.” 1 (William James)
As much as we would like to believe that our memory is flawless and everything we remember corresponds to actual happenings, there is psychological evidence that it [memory] can be easily manipulated by external factors such as persons or institutions of