Memory Strategies - Essay Example

? An Analysis of Memory Although there are many strategies that can be applied to memory as a means of improving it, this particularanalysis will be concentric upon discussing two of the strategies that were put forward within the text and discussing the ways in which these strategies can be utilized within the daily life of this student. As a means of performing such a task, it is the hope of this author that the reader can come to a more full and complete understanding of the means by which certain memory strategies, although presented in an academic way within the text, can ultimately be utilized as a means of improving the daily life and experience of the individual user. The first of these which will be discussed is with regards to the pragmatic view of memory. Similarly, the second memory strategy which will be discussed is with regards to one involving the way in which an individual forms, understands, and remembers gender stereotypes, or stereotypes at all for that matter. As a function of discussing and analyzing these two distinct strategies, it is likely and hopeful that the individual will gain a more realistic view of the way in which they process and store relevant information; as such, a general improvement in the way that this information is recalled and remember is also likely to take place. Firstly, with regards to the pragmatic view of memory, this particular strategy involves the individual seeking to understand the semantics and specific meanings/goals/understandings of the message in question. In this way, the pragmatic view of memory summarizes the following: “Due to the fact that people know that they usually need to accurately recall the gist of the sentence, they also know that the usually do not need to remember the specific wording of the sentences. However, in those cases that they do need to be added to the specific wording, and then they know that their verbatim memory needs to be highly accurate” (Matlin, 2013). This strikes at a very core and key aspect of recollection and memory in the fact that the pragmatic view of memory can be utilized within daily life as a means of separating the information that is necessary to remember as such, and the information that can be sidelined and defined in a specific/more fluid and manageable type way. From this pragmatic view of memory selection and definition, it becomes clearly obvious that one of the most distinct and important functions with regards to memory and the way in which the individual behaves and categorizes information on daily basis is with regards to the specific way in which key understandings are made and how those understandings are related directly into memory. All too often it is assumed that memory is something of a monolithic entity in which ideas, recollection, specific instances, and a litany of other sensory inputs are merely shelved. Instead, it is a complex interconnected web that requires individuals to select what type of information, what type of memory, and what level of importance of specific thought entails prior to being stored in saved within the brain. The positive effect of utilizing pragmatic memory within one’s daily life is the fact that information is not all categorized as extraordinarily important. However, the process of differentiation of information necessarily leads one to a level of discriminatory choice making. Oftentimes, dissemination and of itself is not about thing; however, when made thousands of times on daily basis, it can oftentimes engender certain types of stereotypes which represent untrue and unethical understandings of the world in which we live. This of course leads us to the secondary complement of memory which will be discussed within this brief analysis; that of gender discrimination/stereotyping. As a function of the first complement of memory which is been discussed within this analysis, it is oftentimes the case that individuals will engage in a certain level of stereotyping and gender discrimination. This is of course done with the end goal in mind of simplifying the realities that exists within the current world. However, the most obvious drawback to such an approach is that it reveals a world to the individual who integrates with such an understanding that is ultimately untrue and flawed. Ultimately, there are no positive benefits of gender stereotyping/termination which can be realized (Levy et al., 2012). Rather, this is a process that must be continually averted by analyzing situations and ensuring a memory is recorded in a way that reduces the overall instance of gender discrimination/stereotyping that might be exhibited. However, it must be noted that regardless of the level to which an individual might seek to engage in such an understanding of the world, it is ultimately impossible to remove all discrimination stereotypes from memory (Putz et al., 2012). Rather, the best approach is merely to seek to guard against this eventuality all costs. As can be seen from the preceding analysis, the utilization of strategy with regards to memory is something they can ultimately be changed. Rather than viewing the individual as something of a sponge the merely walks through life and absorbs all information that it interacts, the process of classification, categorization, an understanding our key concepts which cannot be ignored and must necessarily be understood as a means of improving the level to which memory is engaged with. With regards to pragmatic memory, and the discussion which is been given, it should be understood that the most integral point of contact between the individual and the information is with regards to the classification and categorization that it receives. Similarly, although this classification and categorization is normally a neutral process, it can also be understood to be a net negative with regards the way in which gender stereotypes and discrimination take place. In such a way, it is in common upon the individual to ensure that the classification and categorization process which is been discussed within the pragmatic view of memory is necessarily limited as a means of reducing the negative externalities the result from incorrect understandings of individuals and/or genders. References Levy, B. R., Zonderman, A. B., Slade, M. D., & Ferrucci, L. (2012). Memory shaped by age stereotypes over time. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 67(4), 432-436. Matlin, M. (2013). Cognition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Putz, P., Ulbrich, P., Churan, J., Fink, M., & Wittmann, M. (2012). Duration discrimination in the context of age, sex, and cognition. Journal Of Cognitive Psychology, 24(8), 893-900. doi:10.1080/20445911.2012.709230 Read More