Human Memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Memory - Essay Example e details of a story that had occurred a long time ago, the flow of complicated phrases of long songs, and many other such features, is because of memory. This occurs as a process of information retention in which one’s experiences are archived, and these can be recovered when recalled. Memory and learning are mutually and closely interrelated. Learning is the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and memory is the retention of this knowledge. Ability to consider the past, think in the present, and predict the future, as well as the use of language are all based on learning and human memory. Memory is also understood as a comprehensive term ranging from memories of childhood and autobiographical memory, to the stream of facts recalled as a result of a trigger. It includes the memory for faces, both familiar and those that require concentration to recognise. â€Å"The memories for taste and smell, sounds and shapes as well as the feel of things are directly related to the senses†, and can trigger off a flood of nostalgia (Samuel, 1999: 49). 1) Information flows through the brain: Sensory iinformation is stored in the sensory store in the cortex. Then some of the information is quickly transferred before it is lost, into the short-term store, and then the rehearsal buffer, and finally into long-term memory storage in the sensory cortex, state Loftus and Loftus (1976). The Papez circuit travels from the hippocampus, around the limbic system and cortex, back to the hippocampus. The strengthened memory paths become a part of long-term memory (Squire, 1991). 2) How neuron networks store and retrieve memories: Neuron networks such as the Papez circuit entrenches temporary connections between visual, hearing and limbic neurons to form a new lasting memory. A network in the cortex that contains a particular sensation forms a path defined by its synapses. This is the firing path for nerve impulses that stores and invokes the particular sensation to evoke a related