What exactly do you mean when you say someone has a good memory? Do you mean that the person has a fast recall or that he or she absorbs information quickly? Or maybe you just mean that the person remembers a lot about her or his childhood. The truth is that's exactly what memory is. We do know that a particular memory is not just one thing stored somewhere in the brain. Instead, a memory is made up of bits and pieces of information stored all over the brain.
In psychology, memory is defined as the ability of an organism to store, preserve, and then recall information. Or, from another perspective, the fact that experience has an effect on behavior after a certain time indicates that the trace of the experience has been stored in some way, and this storage process is called memory. There are three main stages in the formation of memory and the retrieval of information: encoding, storage, and retrieval (or recall).
Encoding: When information enters our memory system (from sensory input), it needs to be converted into a form that the system can handle to be stored. In short, the information received needs to be processed. You can compare this to converting your money into a different currency when traveling from one country to another. For instance, if a word seen (in a book) is converted (encoded) into a sound or a meaning (i.e. semantic processing), it can be stored. Encoding the pieces of information well makes it easy to recall afterward.
Storage: The second refers to the strengthening of encoded information to create more permanent traces in memory. Consolidation can occur through repetition of information, deep processing, and the establishment of connections. The storage stage can be examined in two types of memory: Short-term memory, which has limited capacity and retains short-term information. The other one is called long-term memory which information can be retained long and can be retrieved.
Retrieval: Remembering is the process of retrieving encoded and consolidated information from memory, and occurs through appropriate recall and retrieval of information. The retrieval process can be based on two mechanisms: Free recall, which retrieves any information without any help or clue. For example, try to remember the list of the staff. Recognition, recognizing information from a set of options. For example, saying "Yes, I remember that" when you see a face or a word.
As you can understand to remember a piece of information, it must first be recorded in the brain. And to record something in the brain, you have to really notice it or register it, using one or more of your five senses. Practice and repetition can then help to strengthen the pieces that make up your memory of that information.
Memory can be negatively affected by a number of things. Poor nutrition and depression can affect a person’s ability to retain information. Excessive alcohol use can also impair memory and cause permanent damage to the brain over the long term. A vision or hearing impairment may affect a person’s ability to notice certain things, thus making it harder to record information in the brain.
When people talk about memory, they often refer to short-term memory and long-term memory. If you want to call an office or a store that you don’t call often, you go through the phone list and dial the number, after that, you forget it! You use your short-term memory to remember the number. Your short-term memory lasts about 30 seconds or half a minute. However, you don’t need to check the phone list for your mother’s number, because you already know it. This number is in your long-term memory, which stores information about things you have learned and experienced through the years. Besides these, there is also emotional memory which consists of learning, storing, and recalling events that are associated with your physiological and emotional responses. Essentially, your emotional memory remembers the event, the emotion you felt, and how your body responded on a physiological level. Emotional memory is a very special type of memory. In fact, it persists even if you have completely forgotten the event. For example, think about how you acquired a phobia. Imagine that you were little and a dog bit you. As a result, you developed a phobia of dogs. Even if years have passed since the event, your phobia will persist. Even if you don’t remember the event, your emotional memory will remember the physiological sensations associated with the moment the dog bit you. For example, it hasn’t forgotten the increased breathing rate, discomfort, anxiety, sweating, pain, etc. This is actually what will sustain your phobia even if you have forgotten the event on a conscious level.
Here are some ideas that help you to remember better.
It is crucial to move the information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Repetition or maintenance rehearsal involves repeatedly reviewing or practicing information you want to remember. This will allow you to actively use information already in your short-term memory. Elaboration involves connecting new information to existing knowledge or making sense of it; relating new information to your existing knowledge makes it easier to store it in long-term memory.
After you learn something, study it again and again. Learn it more than you need to. This process is called overlearning. For example, when you learn new words, practice using them in sentences. While using them actively you move these words into your long-term memory. Do not try to memorize words only from a list.
Try to connect new information with something that you already know. For example, when you learn the name of a new kind of food, think of a similar kind of food that you are already familiar with.
Using visualization techniques when you are learning new information. When you come across a new word, make a picture in your mind of the word and the thing it represents. This mental picture will help you remember that word the next time you see or hear it.
Think of word clues to help you remember information. One helpful kind of word clue is an acronym. An acronym is an expression formed from the first letters of a group of words. For example, many American schoolchildren learn the names of the Great Lakes in North America by remembering the word “homes”. Homes is an acronym that comes from the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
In conclusion, our memory is an interesting organism that includes several different parts. This unique ability, which allows knowledge and experiences to be remembered, is the most valuable treasure that every person has. However, you may have difficulty remembering certain things at certain times. In this context having a balanced diet, doing exercises regularly, staying away from stress, and managing it is crucial to have a strong memory. And the methods mentioned above can be used to have a better memory.