Why Do We Forget - Types of Memory - Literature review Example

1,921 words Why Do We Forget? Introduction The brain is an important part of the human body. It controls many anatomical functions of the body like “breathing, blood circulation and digestion” (National Institute of Aging , 2009, p. 9) as well as direct human senses like hearing, speaking, seeing, moving, remembering, feeling emotions and making decisions (p.9). Cognitive function is one of the core functions of the brain that includes the ability of humans to remember varied sensory information either past or present. The brain’s cerebral cortex is in-charge of this particular cognitive function (p.10). In particular, its frontal lobe controls a person’s ability to remember and other cognitive activities. The amygdala (p. 12) is one of the structures of the brain that process and remembers intense emotions like fear. On the other hand, the hippocampus is another part of the brain found deep in the temporal lobe (p. 12) is significant for “learning and short-term memory” (p.12). It is believed that this is where short term memory is converted to long term memory. Memory or the ability to remember is a central function of the brain. In fact, it can sote a maximum of “60 trillion pieces of memory” (Devanand, n.d., p. 29). As a person grows older his or her ability to remember things might decline since the brain overtime changes in the way it functions just like the rest of the human body. It would be noteworthy to research the reasons why human brain becomes forgetful over time or why an individual forget things at times if not at all times. Relevant literatures are cited in this essay to discuss why we particularly become forgetful. What internal processes affects the brain’s cognitive function to remember sensory experiences? What external factors contribute to this situation? The following section strives to present an explanation for this phenomenon. Types of Memory Vogel and Drew (2008) mentioned two systems of principal of memory of the brain namely short term memory and long term memory. The former is sometimes referred to as the working memory since it briefly holds data that the human mind currently thinks. It gives clearer details of the things that a person currently thinks. The latter, on the other hand, holds substantial amount of data stored from a “lifetime of thoughts and experiences” (par. 1). It provides vague memories about various things that a person have seen or experienced throughout his or her lifetime. These types of memories become the subject of the way people forget things at times. Both short term and long term memories are stored in the brain’s “hippocampal and other parts of the temporal lobe” (p. 29). However, most of long term memories transferred to the frontal lobe over time. Devanand (n.d.) classified memory as “implicit and explicit” (p. 28). The former involves memories that are already inculcated within the brain’s sytem making it an “automatic” (p. 28) memory like driving a car or eating. This includes skills and habits. Learning this implicit memory for the first time is the stage where it is explicit wherein it requires conscious effort to remember a certain activity. The sequence of explicit memory includes information acquisition, memory storage and retrieval of such memory. This threefold process conditions the mind to store the activity or information so that it is automatically retrieved. Constant practice and inculcating such activity overtime makes it an automatic memory; hence implicit already. Explicit and implicit memories can either be short term or long term memories (Devanand, n.d., p. 30). Reasons for Memory Loss Age related changes The brain changes with age. Its prefrontal cortex found at the frontal lobe and the hippocampus shrink as a person ages affecting his cognitive ability or activities such as his memory. Also, communication of neurons in the brain gets affected with age since some matters within the region of the brain becomes “degraded or lost” (National Institute of Aging, 2009, p. 17) with age. Also, the blood vessels in the brain change as a person gets older. It reduces the flow of blood due to narrowing of the brain arteries and reduced development of new capillaries that carry “oxygen, glucose, nutrients, and hormones to brain cells” (p. 9) to help it perform its cognitive function such as memory activities. Development of “plaques and tangles” (p. 17) within and outside brain neurons happens as a person gets older. It affects the cognitive ability of the brain for short term or even long term memory such as in the case of Alzheimer’s Disease. The latter, however, involves higher amount of growth of plaques and tangles than an average older person. Also, as a person gets older, he or she is subject to an increase in the formation of molecules, called free radicals, that reacts badly with other molecules. It is formed when molecules carry an “unpaired electron” (Davanand, n.d., p. 35) producing chemical reactions in the body. This situation might lead to higher tendency of inflammation that might affect the ability of the brain to function fully in terms of cognition. Davanand (n.d.) discussed the “theory of programmed death of cells” (p. 34) wherein there is a genetic programming on the death of certain cells in the brain at a certain time particularly during old age. It subsequently affects the cognitive ability of a person particularly in relation to memory. Thus, given the above discussions, healthy people might experience a decrease in their aptitude for learning and remember information (p. 17) such as name of persons, places, among others as they grow older. Brain is overburdened with things to remember for short term memory Etter (n.d.) shared the results of the experiment of Blasko and Hall wherein they overloaded the minds of their participants with information to test what causes the brain to break down and cease to remember the data it absorbs. Their experiment concluded that working memory becomes overburdened with so many information it absorbs at the same time. Actually, the working memory which is tasked to process information that humans currently think is closely associated with attention to what is going on at the current environment. Thus, it loses attention to certain information that is being given at the same time making it overwhelm with this series of information; hence the loss of memory for some of this information. This is particularly true for people who lack focus thus they do not do well in processing information put in front of them. This type of people forget some information given to them at hand or just learn it briefly and the do not remember it anymore since they consider it not vital enough to retain it. However, if these individuals were able to establish this information within them; they would remember it after awhile since their brains would have stored such information. Thus, forgetfulness sometimes is due to the non-recognition of the brain on the vitality of the information that it forgoes to remember. Non-recognition could be directly related to non-contemplation (Psychologist World, n.d.) of the information provided. The “physical trace” (par. 5) of that particular memory will disappear overtime. Displacement and interference of memory Memories become displaced when it current memories replace old memories. Thus, as the brain process new experiences to store it then displace old memories it stored. Thus, a person will not be able to retrieve these past memories. On the other hand, remembering information that is quiet similar with each other like “words which sound similar” (par. 7) might be difficult to remember. Dissimilar words are easier to remember based on the 1966 study by Baddeley (cited in Psychologist World, par. 7). Reduction in hemispheric asymmetry during old age Cabeza (n.d.) illustrated the reduction of hemispheric asymmetry in older adults that affects the activity of the brain particularly cognition. The activity of the prefrontal cortex of older adults tend to be more “lateralized” (p. 1) compared to younger adults. In particular the left activity of the prefrontal cortex decreases during this phenomenon affecting the “overall distribution” (p. 4) of its activity across this particular hemisphere of the brain. It leads to reduction in the ability of the brain of older adults to recall certain sensory experiences which was corroborated by a study conducted by Madden et al (cited in Cabeza, n.d, p. 3). A decline in hemispheric asymmetry in older adults is seen during “episodic memory retrieval” (p. 3) and “working memory processes” (p. 4) which was verified through various tests on recall and recognition using various verbal and images stimuli. It was also found out that the effect of reduced hemispheric asymmetry contributes to not remembering or recalling faces of people that one have met before. Cabeza (n.d.) further stipulated that “psychogenic …..and …..neurogenic views” (p. 7) explain the phenomenon of reduced hemispheric asymmetry in old age. The former espouses that change in the activity of the brain due to age results to changes in its structure of cognition altering its structures and processes. The latter, on the other hand, espouses the change in the neural structure of the brain as a result of reduced hemispheric asymmetry in old age. The function of the brain’s various regions and its connections changes with age. These changes can result to deferment or loss of memory. Mather and Carstensen (2005) supported this view of Cabeza when they recognised that older adults have “impaired cognitive control…. associated with deterioration in prefrontal brain regions” (p. 496). Thus, adults manifest reduced ability to be attentive and remember certain tasks and experiences that require “internal strategies” (p. 496). However, they stressed that older adults show selective memory on activities that have positive stimuli or sources. This means that they tend to remember things that connote positive experiences in their lifetime while not remembering those things that connote negative experiences for them. This bias in memory among older adults was seen to help improve their emotional state or moods. Conclusion The brain is a significant area of the human body. Its control on the cognitive function of the body immensely affects the ability of a person to communication with another person as well as the ability of a person to remember or store the memory of such interaction. Memory is therefore one of the significant legacy of the brain. It gives opportunity for humans to develop activities based on memory of the same particular activity such as inventions, humanitarian recognition, among others. It gives a person a sense of history which helps recreate or recognise experiences that allows a generation to appreciate the works of the past generation. However, the ability of the brain to store a memory is reduced over time due to various factors such as reduced function of the prefrontal cortex of the brain as well as external factors like exposure to free radicals. Thus, the danger to memory loss is both internal and external to the structure of the brain. It is contributory for one’s well being in relation to memory enhancement if certain activities will be recognised to enhance the ability of the brain to store information efficiently and practice its ability to retrieve information. The contention that the tendency of older adults to be selective in their memory storage and retrieval leaning towards those with positive connotation in their lives to improve their moods is an interesting information about memory loss. It is therefore not that bad if we lost certain memories during old age if it reinforces to enhance our emotional well being. References Cabeza, R. (n.d.). Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults: The HAROLD Model. Devanand, D.P. (n.d.) The Memory Program: How to prevent memory loss and enhance memory power. John Wiley & Sons, Inc,, New York. Etter, S. (n.d.). Probing Questions: Why do we forget? Retrieved from http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/forget.html on 12 December 2009. Mather, M. and Carstensen, L. (October 2005). Aging and motivated cognition: the positivity effect in attention and memory. TRENDS in Cognitive Science, Vol, 9. No. 10, pp. 496-502. National Institute on Aging and National Institutes of Health (2009). Alzheimers Disease: Unraveling the Mystery. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9561A833-9960-4FD0-94CD-0CCE03639C79/0/Unraveling_hiRes.pdf on 9 December 2009 Psychologist World (n.d.). Do we really forget? Retrieved from http://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/forgetting.php on 12 December 2009 Vogel, E.K. and Drew, T. (November 2008). Why Do We Forget Things? Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-we-forget-things on 12 December 2009 Read More