1. What is primary
memory? What are the characteristics of
primary memory?
Primary memory, also known as short-term memory briefly encodes, manipulates,
and holds information either forgotten or transferred to secondary memory.
Freudian psychology refers to primary memory as the conscious mind. One characteristic
of primary memory is how forgetting occurs. Forgetting occurs because of interference
and decay. Most of forgetting from primary memory occurs because of proactive
and retroactive interference. When older learning interferes with new learning
proactive interference occurs (Willingham, 2007). When later learning
interferes with earlier learning retroactive interference occurs (Willingham,
2007). Decay contributes to forgetting because it is a spontaneous
decomposition of the representation over time (Willingham, 2007).
Another characteristic of primary memory is the format in which it
codes information. It codes material in three ways, which are visuospatially,
acoustically, and semantically, and evidence points to a primary memory
component that can store tactile memories (Willingham, 2007). One last characteristic
of primary memory is the amount of information that it can hold, or the
capacity of primary memory (Willingham, 2007). Studies show that the capacity
of primary memory is between five and nine digits, therefore an individual usually
can recall five to nine digits relayed to him or her (Willingham, 2007). It
appears that primary memory has limitations of two seconds of acoustic code and
four of visuospatial objects. Semantic-based memory is quit flexible because of
chunking, which appears to increase primary memory’s capacity because secondary
memory encodes through semantics.
2. What is the
process of memory from perception to retrieval?
What happens when the process is compromised?
The process of memory from perception to retrieval starts when material
comes into an individual’s memory from the environment. Material perceived in
the environment goes through a buffer called sensory memory, which has an enormous
capacity Willingham, 2007). This material enters primary memory, which is a
hypothetical buffer that briefly holds and manipulates information (Willingham,
2007). Primary memory encodes information into secondary memory because it
either brings an emotional response because it relates to other things already
know because of the attention given to remember, or because of repetition
(Willingham, 2007). Retrieval refers to retrieving stored information. Retrieved
information must go from secondary memory to primary memory to be available for
use by cognitive processes.
A compromise in the process makes it very difficult to trust the memory
completely, therefore an individual may wonder if that memory occurred or
occurred exactly as he or she remembers. Also the information may not be as detailed
or an individual may confuse one memory with another memory.
3. Is it possible for
memory retrieval to be unreliable? Why
or why not? What factors may affect the
reliability of one’s memory?
Yes I do believe it is possible for memory retrieval to be
unreliable. Retrieval does not always work as perfectly as individual wishes,
and retrieval does not work the same way every time. If certain cues are not
available at the moment of retrieval than those cues will not help and memory
will be lost (Willingham, 2007). Therefore, the retrieval of a memory may not
occur because the cues for retrieval differ on the two retrieval attempts
(Willingham, 2007). Using cues is detrimental in memory retrieval. Encoding is
also detrimental and retrieval is more reliable when trying to remember. Memory
is better or more reliable when the physical context is the same at encoding
and retrieval (Willingham, 2007). Therefore, retrieval is more reliable when an
individual is trying to remember a certain subject in the same physical place were
encoding of the memory occurred, or in the same situation or same context.
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