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Abstract
The focal point of the paper is to understand the different aspects of memory and find out the best method of studying. Memory is classified in a number of ways, based on nature, duration, and retrieval of stored information. The formation and information retrieval in memory takes place in three stages. Recall, retrieval of the stored information due to some activity or process. Based on the ability to retain information, memory is classified into three different types. Part of the information stored in the sensory memory is sometimes transferred to short-term memory. Both sensory and short-term memory has limited capacity and short duration. In order to learn new information, we need to consolidate information from short-term to long-term memory. Apart from the above, we also need to consider our declarative memory, which stores facts and is a part of long-term memory. It stores theoretical information and is independent of place and time. This helps recall that term easily. In order to move information into long-term memory, we should also elaborately study our materials and rehearse them repeatedly.
Introduction
Over the years, we have seen that students instead of studying the whole year and learning the course materials properly tend to study only on the night before their examination. They stay up all night to finish their revision and somehow just mug up all the study materials, without understanding it at times. They think that they will be able to remember it the next day for the exam. However, since they do not understand the topic while reading it, sometimes they forget parts of it and get mixed up between two or more topics. It is generally advised that students go through their textbooks repeatedly so that they understand what they are studying which helps them remember it for a longer time. In order to determine whether mugging the course material over the night or studying it throughout the year helps the student, we need to consider the working of our brain. (Ashcraft, 2006).
The human brain has the ability to store, retain, and when necessary retrieve the stored information. Memory is classified in a number of ways, based on nature, duration, and retrieval of stored information. The formation and information retrieval in memory takes place in three stages:
- Registration, where information is received, then processed and combined.
- Storage, where a permanent record of registered information is created.
- Recall, retrieval of the stored information due to some activity or process.
Based on the ability to retain information, memory is classified into three different types:
- Sensory Memory. Our ability to remember an item, which we looked at just for a few seconds, is an example of sensory memory. The capacity of the sensory memory is very limited and it degrades quickly, within milliseconds.
- Short-term Memory. Part of the information stored in the sensory memory is sometimes transferred to short-term memory. It allows us to retrieve information from a number of seconds to even a minute. However, its capacity is also very limited.
- Long-term Memory. Both sensory and short-term memory has limited capacity and short duration. This means that information is available only for a limited period of time and not indefinitely. On the other hand, long-term memory can store larger amounts of information for almost unlimited time, sometimes even for our whole lifetime.
While short-term memory occurs due to the transient patterns of neuronal communication which is dependent on the regions of the frontal and parietal lobe, long-term memory is maintained by a more permanent and stable change in the neural connections of the brain. In order to learn new information, we need to consolidate information from short-term to long-term memory. It has also been found that sleep helps in this consolidation of information, and thus our memory depends on the amount of sleep we get.
Apart from the above, we also need to consider our declarative memory, which stores facts and is a part of long-term memory. It refers to those memories, which have been consciously discussed, like the knowledge we gather from our textbooks and the ones that we can look back upon. (Hou, 2005) However, we can forget some information stored in declarative memory, while those that are frequently used last indefinitely. There are two types of declarative memory:
- Semantic memory. It stores theoretical information and is independent of place and time. It refers to that part of the memory consisting of understandings, meanings, and knowledge, which is not related to certain specific experiences. It thus includes generalized information and does not involve that memory that occurs due to a specific event.
- Episodic memory. It stores factual knowledge based on specific moments in time, place, emotions, and our personal experiences. Thus, it is the memory of those autobiographical events, which take place in our life.
Cognitive psychology deals with the investigation of our mental processes, like solving problems, memory, and language. It tells us how we mentally represent information gathered by our brain. It studies our mental processes and tells how we think, learns, and remember. It also shows ways to improve our memory, increase our decision-making power, and helps to structure the educational curriculum to enhance our learning capabilities. It is mainly concerned with our internal states of the mind and studies our mental processes. Cognitive psychologists have now discovered a number of ways to enhance our memory so that we can easily recall the information stored in our brains. Working memory, which is also sometimes referred to as short-term memory is a theoretical part of cognitive psychology, which refers to the processes, and structures of temporary storage and manipulation of information.
From the above, we see that until and unless we are able to move information from short-term to long-term memory, no matter how much we try to mug up our studies, we are more likely to forget it during our examination. In order to do so, and according to cognitive psychology, we need to properly focus our attention on the material, which we are studying. We should try to study in those places where we are not disturbed so that we can attend to the information. (Perner, 2007).
Cramming up our studies does not help during examinations and we need to have regular study sessions. Studying the material a number of times help us remember it for a longer time than those, which we try to do within a few hours. We also need to organize and structure the material, which we are studying, as our mind stores information in clusters. We can also associate a common everyday item, which we are less likely to forget, like a song, to a difficult term we need to remember. This helps recall that term easily. In order to move information into long-term memory, we should also elaborately study our materials and rehearse them repeatedly. If we gather a detailed description of an object, it helps us to recall it better. We also need to pay extra attention to difficult terms so that we remember them for a longer time. (Coch, 2003).
Thus, we see that if we study our course properly, information is stored in the long-term memory and we are less likely to forget it during an exam. Instead of studying the whole night before an examination, it is better to be prepared for it beforehand as sleep, too, plays an important part in helping our brain retain useful information.
References
Ashcraft, M. H. (2006). Cognition (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Coch, Donna & Phillip J. Holcomb; 2003; The N400 in beginning readers; Developmental Psychobiology; Volume 43, Issue 2, Pages: 146-166.
Hou, Craig E. Bruce L. Miller & Joel H. Kramer; 2005; Patterns of autobiographical memory loss in dementia; International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry; Volume 20, Issue 9. Pages: 809-815
Perner, Josef, Daniela Kloo, Edith Gornik; 2007; Episodic memory development: theory of mind is part of re-experiencing experienced events; Infant and Child Development; Volume 16, Issue 5, Pages: 471-490.
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