Is Human Memory Reliable

Memory can be defined as the process of acquiring information through encoding by changing it to a usable form, storage for later use and retrieval by bringing stored memories into conscious awareness state (Sternberg, 1999). The flow of information from the sensory input into the short term working memory (STM) and the long term permanent memory (LTM) is based on the subject’s control (Atkinson & Shiffrin). The subject controls the flow of information with the aid of control processes that act within the short term memory to make decisions and regulate information between the STM and LTM, thereby controlling learning and forgetting. Many elements affect how reliable the human memory is such as the importance of the information the subject intends to remember or the duration of time the subject has to put an information into the STM and LTM (Loftus, 1979).
Brown (1958) suggested that information in short term memory fades away in time unless some effort is made to retain it. Information resides in the STM for about 18-20 seconds (Peterson & Peterson, 1959) that is usually under the control of the subject. By rehearsing the items, the subject can keep the information in the STM for a longer period of time and can be passed on to the LTM which retains information permanently. Rehearsal increases the strength of information in the STM or otherwise delays its loss. However, once the rehearsal ceases the item decays in the STM due to the limited capacity and duration. Miller (1956) proposed that STM had a capacity of about 7 chunks and minus 2 of information. Hence, once an information is lost in the STM, it cannot be retrieved.
Effective LTM retrieval can be shown to be strongly dependent upon the type of information that is rehearsed. Coding is a more efficient way of storing information and it enhances retrieval. In order for an item to be rehearsed more appropriately, the subject will have to select an item from LTM, add it to a trace to be remembered and then