psychology

A. Nature of Memory 1. Memory and its constructive processes Memory is a record of our previous experiences and it allows us to adapt to our constantly changing environment. Instead of our memory being an exact recollection of our past experiences, such as an automatic tape recorder, it is a constructive process in which we process, retrieve and store information with some errors, for we can't remember everything. 2. Memory Models: An Overview a. Encoding, Storage, Retrieval (ESR) The encoding, storage, retrieval model suggests information passes throughout three basic operations- encoding, storage, and retrieval. First, your brain has to encode information into its neural language. After that, your brain acts as a hard drive and stores the information. Finally, the brain has to draw its information out of storage, in a process known as retrieval. For example, there would be no point studying for an exam, if during the exam you lack the ability to retrieve the information you had previously stored in your brain. b. Levels of Processing The Levels of Processing models was founded by Fegus Craik and Robert Lockhart in 1972. It suggests that memory depends on the depth in which we process and store information. The more meaning we add to learning, the more you are going to remember something. For example, lets look at someone trying to remember a seven digit phone number. Most would use maintenance rehearsal, which involves reciting the seven numbers in your head over and over with a hope that you'll remember it. That works, but it is only effective for a couple minutes or so. In order to truly remember the phone number one should use elaborative rehearsal, in which they expand upon the numbers and think deeply about them. This ensures you will remember the phone number for a much longer time, since you are relating to what you are learning. c. Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP) The Parallel distributed processing model of