Short Term vs Long Term Memory - Research Paper Example

? Short Term vs. Long Term Memory The memory is a very fascinating gift that allows individuals to know everything that they know. However the process by which memories are created, stored and retrieved is not that simple, therefore psychologists have made many models to describe how it works. One such model is the three stage model where memories pass through three stages that are Sensory Memory Storage, Short-term Memory and the Long-term Memory. The Short-term memory consists of the visuospatial sketchpad, the phonological loop and the central executive. However the Short Term Memory (STM) is limited by constraints of time and capacity therefore mechanisms such as maintenance rehearsal and chunking can be employed to improve its efficiency. The Long Term Memory (LTM) is relatively more permanent and has no constraints of capacity. Owing to its expansive nature it is further divided into explicit and implicit memory. Keywords: Short-term Memory, Visuospatial sketchpad, Phonological loop, Maintenance Rehearsal, Long-term Memory, Explicit Memory, Implicit Memory. Instructions as simple as how to pick up a spoon to the more advanced ones such as how to conduct a chemistry experiment, to past experiences are all records that are maintained by the memory. The memory is an inner documentation and illustration of past events, it is a name given to a set of cognitive capabilities by which we are able to preserve information and reconstruct past episodes of our lives (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). For time in memorial psychologists have tried to gain an understanding of how the mysterious memory operates. They have constructed numerous comprehensive models which aim to explain how memories are created, stored and retrieved. One such popular model is known as the traditional three stage model. This model suggests that the process by which memories are created, stored and retrieved can be broken into three stages; Sensory Memory Storage, Short-term Memory and the Long-term Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). Each stage in this model differs from the other based on its function, the length of time that it is able to hold information and the amount of information that it is able to hold. (Karen Huffman) Information that is not transferred by the first and second stage is lost, a phenomenon commonly described as forgetting. Whereas the sensory memory storage only allows us to hold information for a brief period of time, Short-term Memory (STM) includes perception. This stage temporarily houses information whilst the decision is made whether to send it to the Long-term Memory (LTM) for permanent storage. For example while watching the news, our brain is receiving various stimuli from the environment such as we see what the news anchor is wearing, see what they look like, see the various pictures flashing in the background and read the scrolls of text running at the bottom of the screen. Not only do we see and read but we also hear what the news anchor is saying. However we do not remember all the little details. This happens since Sensory Memory Stage only sends forward that information to the STM that it thinks is important, once the STM receives this sifted information it organizes the data in a manner that makes it capable of being analyzed and interpreted (Karen Huffman). Then the STM decides which information is worth remembering. Information such as currency rates, stock prices, policy changes often are considered important and are sent forward to the LTM. The STM has several constraints such as it can only store 5 to 9 items of information for up to 30 seconds therefore mechanisms such as maintenance rehearsal and chunking can be used to increase the capacity and duration of the STM. In order to increase the duration for which information can be held in the STM individuals should practice maintenance rehearsal whereby individuals continue repeating information so that it is maintained for a longer time. To increase the duration for which information lasts in the STM, chunking is a method that can be used. Here data can be organized into single units so that it is easier to remember them. For example if someone has to remember the words spoon, orange, pig, apple, knife, chicken, goat and fork they can chunk the data into categories such as cutlery, fruits and animals. By practicing these techniques individuals can increase the duration and capacity of STM and hence remember more (Boucher & Dienes). To label STM as a transitory stage between Sensory Memory Storage and LTM is too simplified; the STM can be divided into a three part working memory including visuospatial sketchpad, phonological rehearsal loop, and the central executive. Like a photograph the visuospatial component holds and maneuvers visual images and spatial information. The phonological loop is similar to maintenance rehearsal where it is responsible for handling verbal information; it is a sub-vocal repetition of the data. The central executive is like a supervisor that combines information from the visuospatial and the phonological loop. After the 30 seconds that information spends in the STM the important information is sent forward to the LTM for permanent storage. Going back to our previous example of the news, once the STM has decided that information such as stock prices are important it sends the data to the LTM where it is stored until we need to retrieve it, and then it is sent back to the STM. However the LTM is superior in the matter that it is able to store an unlimited amount of information for an unlimited time period. Owing to this expansive nature of the LTM it accumulates vast amounts of information during an individual’s lifetime therefore it is divided into two types; the explicit or declarative memory and the implicit or non-declarative memory (Karen Huffman). Explicit memory consists of conscious knowledge, things that individuals learn intentionally and with full awareness such as their cell phone numbers, e-mail address etc. Explicit memory can further be divided into semantic and episodic memory. Semantic memory is a store house for general knowledge and works like an encyclopedia. Information such as who was the first president of USA is stored here. The episodic memory stores personal information about an individual’s personal life such as a date of birth, a happy occasion etc. This memory needs conscious recall and therefore requires awareness so as to remember it and retrieve it. Implicit memory refers to the unconscious knowledge that an individual accumulates over a lifetime. Implicit memory is divided into two parts that are procedural memory and classically conditioned memory. Procedural memory includes the motor skills that individuals learn such as riding a bike. Information held in the classically conditioned component of memory holds responses that individuals learn unintentionally such as prejudices. Owing to its unintentional nature implicit memory does not need to be recalled and happens without an individual’s awareness. The memory is a very fascinating gift that neither psychologists nor scientists have completely understood but some major breakthroughs have helped to gain insight into the workings of this mysterious phenomenon. References Atkinson, R., & Shiffrin, R. (1968). A proposed system and its control processes. The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 2, 89 - 195. Boucher, L., & Dienes, Z. (2003). Two Ways of Learning Assosiations. Cognitive Science, 27, 807-842. Huffman, K. (2001). Memory. Psychology in action (pp. 249-259). S.l.: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Philosophy, t. p., & the. (n.d.). Memory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 19, 2011, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/memory/ Read More