Different Kinds of Memory - Essay Example

Implicit memory refers to the unconscious keeping of information by the mind for later use, meaning that the mind sometimes unconsciously retains information that later affects behavior. The event from which the mind got the information is usually not remembered. Conversely, explicit memory refers to the intentional retrieval of information from the mind, for example, when a person remembers a house number or car plate.

Conversely, procedural memory refers to the kind of memory where an individual remembers the procedures for certain actions that were previously learned, for example, riding a bicycle, cooking a specific meal, or driving a motor vehicle.

Declarative memory is further divided into two major areas, semantic and episodic memory, which refers to the exact type of facts that an individual recalls (Roediger, Marsh, and Lee 8). In this case, semantic memory refers to the way an individual remembers general facts, for example, retrieving the capital of a country uses semantic memory since it does not require a personal fact. Conversely, episodic memory refers to the remembrance of personal facts, for example, remembering the specific events of a game uses episodic memory.

Behavioral psychology

Behavioral psychology is a school of thought that was proposed by psychologists such as Skinner and Watson and proposes that all behaviors in organisms are learned (Pierce and Cheney 12). Behavioral psychology is usually divided into two major parts, operant, and classical conditioning, both of which refer to how behavior is learned.

The first discovery of classical conditioning was done by a physiologist named Pavlov, who discovered that dogs could be made to salivate to the sound of a bell (Pierce and Cheney 28). The physiologist discovered that, if a bell is sounded at every mealtime, there comes an instance when sounding a bell can make a dog salivate in anticipation of a meal. This process is done through the acquisition of an association, where an individual learns to associate one stimulus with the occurrence of an action. The continued presence of the association will always strengthen the response, while the gradual reduction of the association reduces the response.

The other branch of behavioral psychology is operant conditioning, where an individual is made to learn through a process of reward and punishment (Pierce and Cheney 39). This refers to the learning of behavior through the association of an action with a consequence, usually a reward or a punishment. This means that individual behavior can be studied, and a reward (reinforcement) offered for positive behavior, or a punishment given for negative behavior. According to Skinner, the timing of the reinforcements or punishments affects the speed at which the behavior is acquired, meaning that random rewards or punishments should not be given. In this case, an individual has to be continually studied and a specific action identified for reinforcement or punishment. In as much as these two classes of behavioral psychology seem straightforward, changing behavior is a long process, therefore, a psychologist should combine these techniques with other psychological theories.