Reasons Why We Forget and How We Can Improve Our Memory
“Memory” is an essential building block in learning and decision-making in biological systems” (Chang et a. 2011). The following passages will discuss the reasons as to why human beings forget information, as well as review ways in which memory can be improved.
There are number of theories and experiments that have focused on determining why we forget the information we were at one point or another able to recount. The following section will focus on highlighting a range of medical conditions as well as theories that provide reasons for why we forget.
The loss of memory is commonly referred to as amnesia. Amnesia causes an individual to be unable to learn to new information. It is caused due to brain injury, illness or psychological trauma (Passer & Smith, 2008). There are two types of amnesia, one being retrograde amnesia and the other being anterograde amnesia. Retrograde Amnesia occurs after a person has sustained brain damage that is specific to the areas that control the sites of memory retrieval and storage (Hoz et al. 2004). Those people who suffer from retrograde amnesia are unable to recall information prior to the event where the brain damage occurred (Schoenberg & Scott 2011). Anterograde Amnesia is caused by a brain damage much the same way as retrograde amnesia. However individuals who suffer from this form of Amnesia are unable to encode new information since the brain injury (Schoenberg & Scott 2011).
Psychologists disagree about whether memories fade due to the passing of time (decay theory) or because of events that interfere with one another (interference theory). From the research that has been done into the subject of memory one can deduce that both the decay and interference theory play an important role in understanding why we forget.
The decay theory aims at explaining the reason why people are more likely to forget information over time. The decay theory is based on the idea that memories are stored in the brain.
There are number of theories and experiments that have focused on determining why we forget the information we were at one point or another able to recount. The following section will focus on highlighting a range of medical conditions as well as theories that provide reasons for why we forget.
The loss of memory is commonly referred to as amnesia. Amnesia causes an individual to be unable to learn to new information. It is caused due to brain injury, illness or psychological trauma (Passer & Smith, 2008). There are two types of amnesia, one being retrograde amnesia and the other being anterograde amnesia. Retrograde Amnesia occurs after a person has sustained brain damage that is specific to the areas that control the sites of memory retrieval and storage (Hoz et al. 2004). Those people who suffer from retrograde amnesia are unable to recall information prior to the event where the brain damage occurred (Schoenberg & Scott 2011). Anterograde Amnesia is caused by a brain damage much the same way as retrograde amnesia. However individuals who suffer from this form of Amnesia are unable to encode new information since the brain injury (Schoenberg & Scott 2011).
Psychologists disagree about whether memories fade due to the passing of time (decay theory) or because of events that interfere with one another (interference theory). From the research that has been done into the subject of memory one can deduce that both the decay and interference theory play an important role in understanding why we forget.
The decay theory aims at explaining the reason why people are more likely to forget information over time. The decay theory is based on the idea that memories are stored in the brain.
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