Oct 13 2008
Just Give It Time?
My eyes drift across the psychology text book as I try to retain some of the information for my test in two days. I begin to read about memory. I skip over the majority of the nonsense to a part about ineffective encoding. I think back to an earlier definition, I remember that encoding is how our brain organizes the memories inside of itself. I stop concentrating on the text for a minute because a song comes on I don’t like on my Ipod. I push the skip button a few times till something comes on which I feel like listening to. I glance back to find the definition.
“If the information is not encoded properly—such as if the student simply skims over the textbook while paying more attention to the TV—it is more likely to be forgotten.”
Great.
I look toward the next definition, something about the Decay Theory. The book says that many people believe that time will help to forget or eliminate memories, but that this is a common misconception. I begin to worry a little bit, but read further.
“Decay explains the loss of memories from sensory and short-term memory. However, loss of long-term memories does not seem to depend on how much time has gone by since the information was learned. People might easily remember their first day in junior high school but completely forget what they learned in class last Tuesday.”
My mind flashes toward a memory of a close friend telling me to give it time and it won’t hurt so badly. I recall that this memory retrieval is caused because the definition served as what they call a retrieval cue. I laugh to myself as I realize that time will never make this pain go away, but I need to forget so badly. What will? How can I do it?
I read the next paragraph.
“Interference theory has a better account of why people lose long-term memories. According to this theory, people forget information because of interference from other learned information.”
I read this paragraph a few times over and over. I look around my room and see a book. I start trying to memorize the first chapter of “The Sun Also Rises.” Please let this work, I think to myself.
