memory is a constructive and active process Essay

Memory is a subject that has been of to a greater extent than interest to psychologists for many years and various(a) research has been carried forth in wait on of trying to understand how retrospect sues. It back end be understood that entrepot is compromised of terzetto processes and three key subsystems which enable it to work and perform efficiently on a daily basis. The encoding process is where breeding is retrieved via what is kn take away got as sensory repositing which is encoded either visu entirelyy or semantic all in ally by grabing a meaning to a word. In borders of retentiveness of computer storage, the randomness in the sensory stock is either held in brief full bound entrepot where it discharge be repudiateed for a a couple of(prenominal) minutes or long term shop where it can be turn backed for some(prenominal) decades. notwithstanding a topic of ofttimes debate is whether retentiveness is a re structural or peaceable voice process. Memory as an restless process can be explained as the plan of memories creation altered, warp or even constructed from external sources whereas dormant retrospection is where education is recalled exactly as it is encoded. A select has been make that reminiscence is active and constructive and so in order to evaluate this claim it is all- classic(a) to analyze the applicable studies carried out in this argona of cognitive psychology. ( couple and Roth, 2007)When smell at the processes involved in memory, it is clear that the serving play an important role in whether recovery becomes an active or passive process. When mull over is strange or track(p) questions argon asked about memories, this can extend to our recall and the memories can become perverted which implies a constructive setting when recalling info. A number of studies examining specific wad and their effect on memory support this sentiment. convert follows a similar principle, where depending on the circumstances the tuition is either encoded passively or constructed with a mix of new information and information stored in long term memory in order to attach meaning to the information. Storage on the former(a) hand is primarily passive as the information is recorded automatically. It is also important to take into account that there is not just one type of memory but that it can be stock split into two different categories, small(a) term memory and long term memory.( pas de deux and Roth, 2007)When regarding at short term memory specifically, it becomes clear that there is a conscious and active aspect to the process therefore supporting the claim at least(prenominal) partially that memory is constructive. This is demonstrated in Baddley and Hitchs model of short term memory (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) they claim that the short term memory is comparable to a workbench concept where new information is mixed with sure-enough(a) memories and stored informa tion in order to verbalise out a variety of processes depending on the specific circumstances. The main weakness with this theory or concept is the inability to visually check over what is occuring in the heading. Although we can look at PET scans and see congress differences in the posterior Hippoc adenosine monophosphateus when canvas the active part of memory as can be seen in Maguier et als interpret (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) of taxi drivers where that specific section of the brain was enlarged. We atomic number 18 still unable to see the actual information existence encoded or stored however the speculation and theories put onwards support the concept of some aspects of short term memory being constructive. miserable onto the main memory processes, Bartletts The war of the ghosts topic (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) is particularly relevant when evaluating the claim of memory being an unaccompanied constructive and active process. He chose a story specifi cally aimed to contain unfamiliar concepts to the participants. This allowed him to examine the effects of social and ad hominem experiences on memory and recall. This take in supports the concept of memory being constructive and energizing because the turn out gifts that instead of the story being encoded and stored in a manner that allowed the participants to recall it accurately and undistorted, the participants utilize previous experiences and concepts that made sense to them in order to encode and retrieve the information.This distortion or teddy of the facts directly points to memory being active as during the processing of the story, it is likely that elaborative report played a part in the method of encoding and storage as the participants were linking information to existing knowledge in order to make sense of the story. However it is important to portion out there was no control over any of the variables in the study therefore the findings from the experiment would be difficult to measure in harm of accuracy and reliability in analogy to the claim proposed.Further support for the claim comes from a study carried out by Loftus and Palmer (1974, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) which was knowing to look at the effect of leading questions and the influence of linguistics on our memory of matters. This study gain ground supports the concept of memory being constructive as the information is being distorted through the participants own experiences, this shows that the memories atomic number 18 not being recalled accurately but are being recalled in a manner that the participant is coming together past experiences and knowledge along with the study material.This combined with the suggestive nature of the verbs used could also affect the retrieval of memories by misattributing the source resulting in the participants believing something that may not be entirely accurate, in this showcase the speed of the cars and presence of trumpery in the video. Although when interpreting the findings, it is important to consider the confounding variable of respective(prenominal) differences I.e individual(prenominal) perception of speed which could effect the grimness and generalisability of the data. The study also lacks ecological inclemency as witnessing the car crash via a media source would not evoke the akin steamy response as a witnessing it first hand, which could effect the quality and stop of the information stored.In contrast, true aspects of memory imply a passive aspect of memory as some types of memories are accurately stored and recalled with little or no distortion and rarely forgotten. In the Bahrick et al (1975, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) study which looked at the recollection of faces and names of nation from their graduating classes it was found that even after 35 years there was almost no forgetting and accurate recall of names and faces. This body of work supports the aspect of memory bei ng a passive process as the information encoded is being recalled accurately and over a long period of time. These types of memories are classed as enduring memories and little or no loss or distortion occurs until rattling old age where other factors could be responsible. However a weakness of the study was that it only tested names and faces which is a small representation of the types of knowledge stored in long term memory so would be difficult to apply the findings to all aspects of long term memory.Brown and Kulik (1977, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) created the term flash bulb memories in relation to autobiographical memories and carried out an experiment to demonstrate this theory. This experiment focused on consequences that are surprising and chivvy strong emotional responses. This study further supports the notion of memory being passive as long as certain conditions are met. In this particular case the event has to be important to the individual and has to ev oke a strong emotional response. As long as these conditions are met an individual is able to store and recall their memories of the event very accurately or at least the reception of the event i.e. who they were with and when they first found out etceteraThe emotional aspect of the event and the grandeur to the individual means the information can be recalled exactly as it was encoded with little or no distortion. However, it is important to consider that the rehearsal effect may play an important part in the storage of the memories due to the emotional nature of the event it is possible that these memories are replayed or rehearsed more often than other memories.After evaluating the evidence in relation to the claim that memory is constructive and active, taking into account twain the results and the inherent problems with the studies methodology the conclusion has to be drawn that whilst some aspects of memory are indeed constructive there are also passive elements in all thre e processes of memory. The studies carried out on the retrieval process of memory certainly show strong indication of memory being constructive and show that memories can be altered or distorted by a variety of factors meaning the information retrieved is subject to change. However feel at both the encoding and storage processes these have been shown to have both passive and constructive elements depending on the circumstances such as emotional responses and personal relevance. Therefore looking at memory as a single entity, it has to be seen as an union of both constructive and passive elements. (Brace and Roth, 2007)References Brace, N and Roth, I (2007) Memory structures, processes and skills in D. Miell, A.Phoenix, & K.Thomas(Eds.) Mapping psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University.