Discuss the Reliability of One Cognitive Process
Discuss the Reliability of One Cognitive Process
Memory is an example of a cognitive process, in other words it is a process by which knowledge is gained. This essay will attempt to explain the internal processes which are involved in memory and try to determine whether or not our memories as mental process of knowing, reasoning and judging can be considered reliable sources of information. First of all, memory is defined as the process of retaining and recalling past events or experiences. Memory is not however, like a “tape recorder” and cannot provide an exact replica of what happened, but rather a “reconstruction” of it. Some aspects of memory recall are better described as ‘rumours’- memories will never return to their original clarity; faces can be switched, names deleted and words changed. Some of the reasons for memory’s slips and ambiguities have been compiled by Professor Daniel Schacter’s “seven sins of memory” these are: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence. These ‘sins’ show the fragility of our short and long-term memory stores and how easily things can be forgotten if, for example: left over time, went unacknowledged, or followed some emotional or traumatic event.
One of the reasons for inaccuracies or distortions in memory recall is that our memories are influenced by schemas. Schemas effectively fill in the blanks of our memories by inserting our previous knowledge or understanding of the world to complete or reconstruct memories into coherent episodes. This can be shown in Bartlett’s “War of the Ghosts” study which explains the reconstructive nature of memory and how our information processing is schema driven. In the study, Bartlett illustrated how, as people tried to make sense of something they constructed memories based on what they already knew. This is because people’s long-term memories help them to make sense of the world around them; it was described by Bartlett as “effort
Memory is an example of a cognitive process, in other words it is a process by which knowledge is gained. This essay will attempt to explain the internal processes which are involved in memory and try to determine whether or not our memories as mental process of knowing, reasoning and judging can be considered reliable sources of information. First of all, memory is defined as the process of retaining and recalling past events or experiences. Memory is not however, like a “tape recorder” and cannot provide an exact replica of what happened, but rather a “reconstruction” of it. Some aspects of memory recall are better described as ‘rumours’- memories will never return to their original clarity; faces can be switched, names deleted and words changed. Some of the reasons for memory’s slips and ambiguities have been compiled by Professor Daniel Schacter’s “seven sins of memory” these are: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence. These ‘sins’ show the fragility of our short and long-term memory stores and how easily things can be forgotten if, for example: left over time, went unacknowledged, or followed some emotional or traumatic event.
One of the reasons for inaccuracies or distortions in memory recall is that our memories are influenced by schemas. Schemas effectively fill in the blanks of our memories by inserting our previous knowledge or understanding of the world to complete or reconstruct memories into coherent episodes. This can be shown in Bartlett’s “War of the Ghosts” study which explains the reconstructive nature of memory and how our information processing is schema driven. In the study, Bartlett illustrated how, as people tried to make sense of something they constructed memories based on what they already knew. This is because people’s long-term memories help them to make sense of the world around them; it was described by Bartlett as “effort