Memory Retrieval essays

Memory Retrieval essays Some of the most intriguing information we have covered in lecture has involved memory retrieval. I always enjoy finding out that others share the same questions or concerns about any topic, it lends a feeling of validation. I have often wondered why I would repeat a task after just having completed it, or why I would draw a blank when the information should be readily available. I think its almost surprising how much memory is valued in many situations, yet it is known that people have tendencies to distort their memories (Sternberg, 2003). As described in the text, eyewitness testimony is the most serious example of societys reliance on individuals memories. Eyewitness testimony is similar to everyday retelling of stories of events to others. I think people can take notice of when they are losing details of the memory of an incident. For example, the more you tell the story of the car crash you saw today on the freeway, the shorter the story will become, focusing mainly on the action, less on situational details. The next couple of days when you are remembering the accident in your head, you realize you now arent sure exactly where on the road it was, what color the one car was, and whether you had the radio on or not. You recognize that you have lost some details, but you feel confident in your memory because you still can recall the crash itself. The idea of misattribution is very interesting here. It seems as if this is the next memory distortion that occurs after transience. Whereas people are aware of transience for the most part, misattribution seems to be more unconscious. It is in the retelling of the memory that we put the memory into understandable (for others) context. In order to give a full and accurate description of the memory, you give the setting, scene, or situation in which it took place. It seems as if the act of relating a memory to another individual requires cert ...