Encoding Information Into Memory
Memory is one of the human brain's most essential functions and can help individuals avoid danger, recall happy moments from the past, achieve the means for professional success, and remember who they are. Understanding how the brain retains and encodes information can help you understand how your brain functions in greater detail.
What Is Encoding Memory?
From this point, you may retrieve that information with automatic or purposeful processing. Your capacity for processing can be developed with cognitive exercise in the same way your memory capacity and functions can be improved.
An example of encoded memory may include the memory of a beach vacation. On your vacation, you may process acoustic encoding through the sound of waves crashing into the shore and visual encoding through the sight of the horizon. Semantic encoding may include a word associated with the beach, such as suntan or sand. Any or all of these elements can cause the memory of your vacation to resurface when you are reminded of them.
Memory may not be entirely mental. Recent studies suggest that humans may possess the ability to accumulate memories of bodily experiences, including "tactile, motor, proprioceptive, painful, and interoceptive experiences, as well as accompanying emotions." This ability is referred to as "body memories."
Types Of Memory
Memory involves a process of gathering information to be stored in the brain. The brain accumulates sensory information and then selects the memories that will continue to be stored in short-term memory. Other memories are categorized by how they are interpreted in the brain, such as memories associated with emotions versus those accumulated as factual information.
Sensory Memory
Sensory memory is the earliest stage of memory. The brain can store sensory memory information for a brief period of roughly half a second for visual information or three to four seconds for audio information. Depending on the information, the brain moves some sensory memories to short-term memory.
Short-Term Memory
Also known as active memory, short-term memory is the information you know in the present moment. Although there have been many studies on the brain's capacity for short-term memory, the work of George Miller is often referenced.
Studies by this American psychologist suggest that it's often more practical to encode multiple pieces of information in short-term memory by chunking them together in limited numbers than by trying to remember them all individually. This process is sometimes called chunking psychology, a technique that can make it easier to absorb and remember information.
For example, if someone reads a list of items that includes the names of various shapes, small animals, and fruits to another person, then asks them to remember the list, that person may group the shapes, animals, and fruits separately. Miller found that the typical capacity for human memory is seven chunks of information.
Long-Term Memory
The brain continues to store relevant information filtered through short-term memories into long-term memory. Many memories that are retrieved are long-term memories. Some long-term memories are easy to recall into working memories, while others are harder to retrieve. Long-term memories allow individuals to recall information that helps them have conversations, make decisions, and solve problems.
Declarative & Procedural Memory
Long-term memory processes are divided into declarative (explicit) and procedural (implicit) memory. Declarative memory refers to how people remember facts and events, while procedural memory allows individuals to remember experiences that become skills like riding a bike or tying their shoes.
Semantic Memory
The semantic network model of memory assumes that certain stimuli can conjure associated memories. For example, suppose you worked in a library for 20 years. In that case, you might be able to recall stories about people who regularly came into the library, special presentations that the library hosted, and other special memories about co-workers.
Episodic Memory
Episodic memory is a type of memory associated with a personal experience where you can connect details of the memory with each other. For example, someone might remember some of the events of their wedding day when looking through old wedding photos. Memory experts are still studying why people can remember some episodic memories but not others. Recent research indicates that "a bidirectional flow of information between the neocortex and hippocampus is fundamental to the formation and retrieval of episodic memories."
Why Does Memory Capacity Vary?
Some situations may interfere with encoding and cause forgetfulness, such as inattentiveness. If you forget where your car is parked, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't know where it is but that the location wasn't encoded in your brain. Outside interference can cause problems in encoding and storing memories; sometimes, memories "compete" for prominence in the mind.
Lack of sleep, excessive substance use, stress, anxiety, and depression may also affect the brain's encoding process. Neurological damage, brain tumors, or memory disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's are common causes of long-term memory challenges.
If you have persistent memory issues, speak to your doctor. This challenge may be due to behavioral concerns but can also be a sign of a more serious condition like dementia or early-onset memory failure.
How Can You Improve Memory?
Below are a few ways you can improve your ability to encode memories:
Get quality sleep each night.
Use mnemonics, devices that associate new information with previously encoded information, like a rhyme or a song.
Practice "chunking," where a string of information is clustered into associated groups.
Create a "mind palace," also known as the method of loci.
Eat foods that support brain function, such as fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts, fish, and eggs.
Exercise regularly.
Perform mental and cognitive exercises such as puzzles or reading.
Acquire a hobby or learn a new skill.
Manage your stress levels.
Cultivate positive social relationships.
Support Options
Difficulties with memory can be disconcerting if they seem persistent or interfere with your daily functioning. If you struggle to store or retain memories, consider speaking to your doctor and a mental health professional.
Challenges involving stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma can all impact functioning. When these challenges go unaddressed, their symptoms and effect on memory may worsen over time. Speaking with a mental health professional can help you improve your memory and allow you space to cope with these challenges.
With the rise in technology, finding a therapist may be possible even when you face barriers to in-person treatment. Online therapy can be convenient, effective, and sometimes more affordable than in-person therapy without insurance. Platforms like BetterHelp can connect you with qualified professionals via phone, video, or chat sessions. In addition, you can outline your goals as soon as you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about encoding memory.
Is Memory Psychological?
The stages of memory are both physical and psychological. Memory encoding, storage, and retrieval first require external stimuli from sensory information. This memory process then leads to one of three ways to encode:
Semantic encoding
Visual encoding
Acoustic encoding
From this stage, memory encoding moves to memory storage, one of cognitive psychology's memory functions.
What Are The Three Processes Of Memory Retrieval?
The three steps to memory retrieval are encoding, storage, and recall.
In encoding, the brain receives sensory input and attempts to connect the new information to existing information. This process is called semantic encoding, and it is the most effective way to store memories.
After this process is storage. The information that your brain has received is passed along through neurons. This process and the strength of the connections between neurons are what form the memories.
The final process is recall. In this stage, memories may become muddled. When you try to remember an event, you may not do so perfectly because new information can overwrite the details of the memory over time. For this reason, some people may develop false memories.
How Can I Recall My Memory?
Using mnemonic devices to improve encoding or other associating techniques may help you remember and recall events more easily.
Why Do People Forget?
Many situations can interfere with encoding and cause you to forget events. For example, a lack of sleep, substance use, stress, anxiety, and depression, among other challenges, can cause your encoding process not to work correctly.
In addition, if you have not attempted to remember or learn a piece of information, it may be filed away in your short-term memory and become subject to the forgetting curve. If you do not try to associate information you've learned or try to study and review it, it will not get transferred to long-term memory.
How Can I Increase My Brain Power To 100%?
You already use 100% of your brain every day. The idea that people only use 10% of their brains is a myth. The only way to use less than 100% of your brain is if your brain is physically damaged due to illness or trauma.
How Can I Exercise My Brain?
One of the best ways to exercise your brain is to actively engage your memory encoding process by learning new information and trying new tasks. However, be aware that proactive and retroactive interference can hinder your ability to learn new tasks.
Why Do I Have A Hard Time Remembering Things?
In some cases, difficulty remembering information may be due to inattentiveness. If you forget where your car is parked, for example, it doesn't necessarily mean that you've forgotten. If you find yourself constantly having difficulty remembering or forgetting important events or daily activities, speak with your doctor.
Are Forgotten Memories Still In Your Brain?
The parts of the brain where someone holds the memories they've forgotten may still light up in a brain scan when asked about the memory, even if they cannot remember them. Though you may no longer have a conscious awareness of the memory, it is still filed away in your brain somewhere.
What Vitamin Is Best For The Brain?
Evidence shows that Vitamin E may improve brain functions in individuals with dementia. Other supplements like Ginko Biloba, Fish Oil, and B Vitamins are commonly thought to help cognitive functions, but more studies are needed. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement or medication.
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