What is a person's memory like? Types of memory in psychology

Many people underestimate the importance for self-development and argue like this: “Why train memory if the main thing is not the amount of memorized material, but its quality.” This is true, but studies show that as you improve your memory, you develop many different abilities: creative thinking, the ability to quickly operate with incoming information, the ability to keep several options in mind in order to choose the best, and much more. Memory is not about memorizing a large amount of material, it is a property of the psyche, which, when developed, has a positive effect on a person's cognitive abilities. If you want to increase these abilities and upgrade your thinking, go through.

In this article, we will not only look at all types of memory, but also show what value each of them has.

Psychologists classify memory in different ways:

By time;
By the senses;
By the nature of the goals of the activity.

Types of memory by time

Instant

It is associated with the retention of a complete and accurate picture of the newly perceived information. This type of memory is characterized not by the processing of the information received (it does not do this), but by the direct reflection of information by the senses. It is rather an image that we get from a collision with some event. The duration of instant memory is from 0.1 to 0.5 seconds.

short-term

This is the kind of memory that we often use in dialogue or discussion. Its duration is up to 20 seconds. The one who has it developed retains in short-term memory all the most important things that happened during this period, it is rather a generalized image of what was perceived. It also has such an important property as volume. For most people, it varies from 5 to 9 units of information. It can be increased: with this approach, a person is very closely following what is happening and is able to notice more details. Sherlock Holmes probably had a short-term memory of more than ten. Want to be like Holmes, .

Operational

This is a type of memory in which a person sets himself to store information for a certain period of time - from a few seconds to several days. This usually happens when a person needs to work on some project, book or term paper: that is, a specific task is set that needs to be solved. As in the case of a computer shutdown, as in the case of a person, RAM can be erased after the task has been solved. However, it can also move into long-term memory.

When you solve a logical problem and you need to keep several conditions in mind, then you use RAM.

long-term

This is a memory that allows you to store information for an unlimited period. It all depends on the person himself and how much he needs it. The more he repeats information, the more it imprints. This requires a developed mindset and willpower. That is why memory training is needed not only for memorization: in parallel with it, extremely important abilities are developed.

genetic

This memory is stored in the genotype and is inherited. We cannot influence it, because it is outside the zone of our influence - in the genes.

Types of memory by sense organs

figurative

This memory is responsible for remembering sights, smells, tastes and sounds. It is not difficult to guess which sense organs are developed by artists, sommeliers, cooks and musicians. However, image memory is fairly easy to develop because we always have the tools to practice at hand.

Verbal-logical

This is the memorization and reproduction of our thoughts. We also remember the content of the film, conversations, songs.

Memory is not just called verbal-logical. This type of memory manifests itself in three cases:

Only the meaning of the information is remembered.
Not only the meaning of information is remembered, but also the literal verbal expression of thoughts.
The literal verbal expression of thoughts is remembered, but not the meaning.

It must have happened to everyone when we memorized the text verbatim, but could not retell it in our own words. Or they did not remember the text, but could reproduce the essence.

Motor

This memory plays a key role for athletes and people who, as part of their profession, must memorize a certain sequence of movements. For example, actors not only learn to get used to the role in order to look truthful on stage, but also sign up for dances - the more developed the motor memory, the easier it is to improvise and perform non-standard movements.

emotional

This memory is associated with experiences, both positive and negative. With her help, both phobias and a level are formed. The higher the emotional intensity, the better the person will remember the experience. This memory is often used to memorize foreign words, trying to emotionally "attach" their experiences to the word being studied.

By the nature of the objectives of the activity

Free

We set ourselves the task of remembering information, prepare for it, pay conscious attention to the source of information and make every effort of will.

involuntary

Such memorization occurs automatically, without human effort. Involuntary memory can be turned both for harm and for good. In the first case, a person can be inspired by something by manipulating him. In the second - with the help of a game or a work of art to convey an important idea that will be remembered for a long time only because the information bypassed the consciousness and penetrated into the subconscious.

As we can see, we do not need memory at all in order to remember everything that happens around us. There are a variety of types of memory, and those who learn how to manage them correctly can achieve many goals.

We wish you good luck!

It is the most important element of its activity. Throughout a person's life, all his impressions and knowledge are recorded in memory. Its types help to better assimilate information of a certain nature. The manifestations of memory are extremely multifaceted and can be divided into several main categories. Different types of human memory are characterized by different features.

Types of memory for mental activity

According to the nature of mental activity, the following types of memory are distinguished.

motor memory provides a person with the memorization of his movements. It underlies the formation of many practical and labor skills. In particular, these include walking, the ability to write, use various tools when working. In some cases, this type of memory must be developed especially well for successful professional activity, for example, among athletes or ballet dancers.

emotional memory is a memory of previously experienced emotions and feelings. Experiences stored in memory become the reason for the emergence of associations and actions based on them in the event that a similar or similar situation arises again.

figurative memory characterized by memorizing can be pictures of nature, sounds, smells. As a rule, visual and auditory memory play a leading role in human life and are best developed. Other types of this memory are much less developed in many people, but there are exceptions, most often associated with the olfactory memory of the creators of perfumes or the gustatory memory of tasters far exceeds the usual level. A good tactile memory is often found in the blind. There are also people who have the ability to retain in memory the smallest details of the objects they see for some time.

Verbal-logical memory in its content represents human thoughts based on language. There are two types of such memory. In the first case, the main meaning is better remembered without an emphasis on details, while in the second case, memorization is more literal.

Types of memory according to the goals of the activity

There are also types of memory according to the nature of the goals of the activity.

involuntary memory differs in that it lacks the very purpose of memorization. It has been established that this type of memory is more developed in children, and noticeably weakens with age. An interesting feature is that in this case the information is very often remembered reliably, although there is no such goal.

Arbitrary memory improves with age, which is largely facilitated by the use of special memorization techniques and targeted training.

Memory is divided into types and according to the duration of storage of the material.

sensory memory is characterized by the fact that all processes proceed at the level of receptors, and information is generally stored for no more than half a second. If the information is of interest to the brain, then it is delayed. Otherwise, it is erased completely and completely.

short term memory comes into play when the information is delayed more than one second. Within about 20 seconds, it is processed in order to determine its degree of importance. If the brain recognizes it as worthy of attention, then the elements of information (numbers, words, names of objects, images) are transmitted further. The amount of short-term memory is very small, at the same time it can contain no more than five to nine elements. It is from this quantity that selection occurs, and the rest is irretrievably lost.

long term memory is something like an archive storage of unlimited capacity, where information received from short-term memory is classified, encoded and stored for long-term storage.

This is the most important function of the body, allowing a person to navigate in the ocean of information surrounding him.

Being one of the most complex mental functions of a person, memory has different types and forms. Allocate types of memory such asgenetic (hereditary), andlifetime .

genetic memory includes mainly instincts and almost does not depend on the conditions of human life. It is stored in the genotype, transmitted and reproduced by inheritance. This is the only kind of memory that we cannot influence through training and education. Genetically, from generation to generation, the necessary biological, psychological and behavioral properties are transmitted.

Concerning lifetime memory , it is a repository of information received from birth to death. Lifetime memory can be classified in various ways.

By the presence of a target setting and the efforts expended on memorization memory can be divided into involuntary and arbitrary.

involuntary memory - this is the automatic memorization and reproduction of information that occurs without effort on the part of a person and installation for memorization.

Free memory - memorization with a special installation to remember and requiring certain volitional efforts.

According to the degree of meaningfulness, memory is divided into mechanical and semantic.

Mechanical memory based on the repetition of material without its comprehension. With such memorization, words, objects, events, movements are remembered exactly in the order in which they were perceived. Mechanical memory acts in the form of the ability to learn and gain life experience. semantic memory involves the comprehension of the memorized material, which is based on an understanding of the internal logical connections between its parts. Meaningful memorization is more effective because it requires less effort and time from a person.

Depending on installation For the period of information storage, short-term, short-term and long-term memory can be distinguished.

short-term memory stores information on average for about 20 seconds. This memory retains not a complete, but only a generalized image of the perceived, its most essential elements. It works without a preliminary conscious mindset for memorization, but instead with a mindset for the subsequent reproduction of the material.

Operational called memory, designed to store information for a certain, predetermined period, in the range from several seconds to several days. The period of storage of information in this memory is determined by the task facing the person, and is designed only for solving this task. This type of memory, in terms of the duration of information storage and its properties, occupies an intermediate position between short-term and long-term memory.

long-term memory capable of storing information for an almost unlimited period of time. Repeated and systematic reproduction of this information strengthens its traces in long-term memory. Long-term memory receives information that is of strategic importance to a person.

According to the material stored memory, it can be divided into cognitive, emotional and personal.

cognitive memory - knowledge retention process. The knowledge gained in the process of learning first acts as something external in relation to the individual, then gradually turns into the experience and beliefs of a person.

emotional memory - retention in the mind of experiences and feelings. Emotional memory for the experience is an indispensable condition for the development of the ability to empathize. Memory for feelings is the basis of skill in a number of professions (especially those related to art).

Personal memory ensures the unity of self-consciousness of the individual at all stages of her life path. A person cannot become a person if his memory does not keep the continuity of goals, actions, attitudes and beliefs.

By modality stored images distinguish verbal-logical and figurative types of personality memory.

Verbal-logical memory closely connected with the word, thought and logic. A person with such a memory can quickly and accurately remember the meaning of events, the text being read, the logic of reasoning. This type of memory is possessed by scientists, experienced lecturers, teachers.

figurative memory divided into visual, auditory, motor, tactile, olfactory and gustatory. The level of their development in each person is not the same, which allows us to talk about verbal-logical or figurative types of memory.

Visual memory associated with the preservation and reproduction of visual images. It is extremely important for people of all professions, especially for engineers and artists. This type of memory involves a person's ability to imagine, which contributes to a good memorization of visual images.

auditory memory - this is the memorization and accurate reproduction of various sounds (musical, speech). It is necessary for philologists, people studying foreign languages, acousticians and musicians.

motor memory is the memorization and preservation, and, if necessary, reproduction with sufficient accuracy of diverse complex movements. It participates in the formation of labor and sports skills and abilities.

Tactile, olfactory andtaste memory play a smaller role in human life, which mainly boils down to meeting biological needs, as well as ensuring the safety and self-preservation of the body.

Memory is the most important component of our personality. It is the link between our past, present and future. Without the ability to remember, evolution would probably stand still. For a modern person in the age of a large flow of information, it is extremely important to have a good memory in order to keep up with the development race. The load on our natural "hard drive" is growing every day.

What is human memory?

Language and memory are closely related. The ability to remember is not innate in humans. It develops as we learn to describe the world. We have practically no memories of the first years of life, precisely because we could not speak. Then, by the age of 3-5, the child begins to speak in sentences and describes events from life, thereby fixing them in memory.

In adolescence, a person comes to self-awareness. He answers himself to the question "who am I?" And the memories of these years are the strongest and brightest. Whereas recent life events can be very difficult to remember. Why is this happening?

There is a theory that 15-25 years is the last period of formation. At this time, we turn our attention to other things besides the family. Hormonal changes take place, the brain is formed, new neural connections are formed, many of them work effectively in the frontal frontal lobe. This part of the brain is responsible for self-awareness. And also in these areas information is accumulated, which becomes memories. Maybe this is the reason that we remember the teenage period of our lives very well, even in adulthood.

Types of memory according to the method of memorization.

Human memory can be divided into several types. rice.

So, in order:

1 block. The subject of memory.

* figurative memory. Information that is stored by creating certain images based on data received by our senses. Everything that we see, hear, touch, feel with taste buds and smell, is converted into images and remains in memory in this form.

* verbal memory is all that we get with the help of words and logic. Only humans have this kind. All information received verbally is consciously analyzed and classified for further use.

* emotional memory. Feelings experienced by a person are imprinted in this “department”. All positive or negative emotions remain, and in the future, remembering these moments of life, a person can experience the same sensations again.

* Motor (motor) memory. Everything that is connected with movement is remembered by motor memory. Riding a bike, the ability to swim, everything that we do "on the machine", having learned it once, is stored in our muscle memory.

2 block. Memorization method.

* Arbitrary memory. With this method, a person remembers the necessary information on purpose, by an effort of will. For example, through repetition.

* involuntary memory. In the process of life, we remember not only what we need, but also other processes. Especially if these data correspond to our interests and preferences. For example, after a New Year's corporate party, someone will remember the outfits of employees, someone will remember delicious dishes, while others will keep competitive games in their memory. Everyone will involuntarily carry away in his memory what was most interesting to him personally.

3 block. Memory time.

* short term memory. It is used to solve problems "on the agenda". With its help, a person processes a huge amount of information, but very quickly forgets it. Immediately, as soon as it is no longer needed. The natural “fuse” is triggered so that the brain does not “explode”.

* long term memory. This type is determined by the long period of information storage. All accumulated knowledge is structured, grouped and used for months, years or a lifetime.

* Intermediate memory. It is something between long-term and short-term. During the day, the brain collects everything it has learned, and during the night's sleep it sorts - something is cut off, and something is put into a long-term "safe".

* RAM needed to perform a specific action.

* sensory memory the shortest. Stores information received from the senses for fractions of seconds. For example, after closing the eyes, the last picture seen does not immediately disappear. It is probably due to this type of memory that we do not notice the blinking of our eyes.

Memory is one of the most important cognitive processes. Its place in our lives is difficult to overestimate, because success in any depends on how quickly we remember and retain the necessary information for a long time. Wanting to improve our memory, make it more efficient and put it to our service, we do not always think about what kind of memory we need. After all, this phenomenon of our psyche manifests itself in different ways in various areas of our life.

Memory is not in vain attributed to cognitive processes. Like any process, memorization and preservation take time and have their own levels or stages, which are also considered as types of memory.

RAM

This type, although it belongs to the processes of memorization, but stands somewhat apart. Working memory serves human activity. Information at this level is stored for a short time, but, most importantly, the brain does not consider it at all as something that needs to be remembered. Why? Because we need it exclusively for specific operations. For example, to understand a sentence, you need to store in memory the meanings of the words you read. Sometimes, however, there are such long sentences that by the time you read to the end, you will forget what happened at the beginning.

RAM is superficial and short-lived, it is working. But it is necessary for successful activity, it can be developed and increased in volume. She trains exclusively in activities. So, while reading, we gradually learn to understand more and more complex and long sentences, largely due to the improvement of working memory. Good RAM is what sets professionals apart.

sensory memory

This is the very first stage of the process of storing information, which can be called the physiological or reflex level. Sensory memory is associated with a very short preservation of signals coming to the nerve cells of the sense organs. The duration of information storage in sensory memory is from 250 milliseconds to 4 seconds.

Two types of sensory memory are best known and studied:

visual,
auditory.

Moreover, sound images are stored somewhat longer. This feature allows us to understand speech and listen to music. The fact that we perceive not individual sounds, but a whole melody is the merit of sensory memory. And a newborn child, whose sense organs are not yet fully developed, sees the whole world as an accumulation of color spots. The ability to perceive a holistic picture is also the result of the development of visual sensory memory.

The information that caught our attention moves from sensory memory to short-term memory. True, this is a very small part of the signals received by our senses, most do not attract our attention. The American inventor T. Edison wrote: "The brain of an average person does not perceive even a thousandth of what the eye sees." And often memory problems are actually due to a lack of ability to concentrate.

short term memory

This is the first stage of processing information intended for storage. Almost everything that attracts our attention enters the level of short-term memory, but lingers there for a very short time - about 30 seconds. It is this time that the brain needs to start processing the received data and determine the degree of their need.

The amount of short-term memory is also small - 5-7 elements that are not related to each other: words, numbers, visual images, sounds, etc.
At this level, the process of evaluating information takes place; the necessary one is duplicated, repeated, it has a chance to get into longer storage.

For a longer preservation of information (but not more than 7 minutes), it is necessary to maintain focused attention, which is a signal of the need for information. And a failure in the area of attention leads to a phenomenon called substitution. It occurs when the flow of information entering the brain is large enough, and it does not have time to be processed in short-term memory. As a result, newly received data is replaced by new ones and is irretrievably lost.

Such a situation occurs when preparing students for an exam, when a student, trying to “swallow” as much information as possible in a limited period of time, prevents his brain from assimilating it normally. To prevent substitution, to keep a large amount of material in short-term memory for a longer period and to ensure its translation into long-term memory, it is possible with the help of conscious repetition and pronunciation. The longer information is stored in short-term memory, the more durable is its memorization.

long term memory

This is a warehouse of various data, which is characterized by almost indefinite storage and a huge volume. Sometimes, for example, a student complains before an exam that it is simply impossible to remember so many things. And since there is too much information, her head is literally overflowing and no longer fits. But this is self-deception. We cannot store information in long-term memory, not because there is no space, but because we do not remember correctly.

Only the following enters the level of long-term memory and is stored for a long time:

included in the activity;
meaningful;
processed information tied by semantic and associative links to the information already there.

The more a person knows, the easier he remembers the subsequent information, since the connections of the new with the already known are established faster.

The problem with storing data in long-term memory can be due to other reasons. Long-term stored information is not so easy to extract from there. The fact is that long-term memory has two layers:

The upper one, where frequently used knowledge is stored. To remember them, no effort is required, they are, as it were, always at hand.
The lower level, on which there is “closed” information that has not been used for a long time, is therefore estimated by the brain as insignificant or even unnecessary. To remember it, efforts and special mnemonic (associated with memory processes) actions are required. The less information is used, the deeper layers of long-term memory it is stored. Sometimes drastic measures, such as hypnosis, are required to get to the bottom of it, and sometimes some insignificant event is enough to cause a chain of associations.

But the variety of types of memory is not limited to stages that differ in the duration of information storage.

Types of memory: what do we remember

In our lives, we are faced with the need to memorize very diverse information that enters our brain through different channels and in different ways. Depending on what mental processes are involved, there are also types of memory.

figurative memory

The largest amount of information in our memory is stored in the form of sensory images. We can say that all the senses work for our memory:

visual receptors supply visual images, including information in the form of printed text;
auditory - sounds, including music and human speech;
tactile - tactile sensations;
olfactory - smells;
gustatory - a variety of tastes.

Images in the brain begin to accumulate literally from birth. This type of memory is not only the largest storage of information, it can also differ in literally phenomenal accuracy. The so-called eidetic memory is known - photographically accurate, detailed memorization of images. The most studied cases of such memorization in the field of visual. Eidetics are extremely rare and usually have some kind of mental disorder, for example:

autism;
schizophrenia;
suicidal tendencies.

Motor or movement memory

This is a very ancient type of memorization that arose at the dawn of evolution. But memory for movements still plays a huge role, and not only in sports activities. Here we go to the table, take a mug, pour tea into it, write down something in a notebook, talk - all these are movements, and they are impossible without motor memory. What can we say about the importance of motor skills in work or sports. Without motor memory it is impossible:

teaching children to write;
mastering the skills of knitting, embroidery, drawing;
even teaching toddlers to walk requires motor memory activity.

emotional memory

Memory for feelings is less visible in people's daily lives and seems to be less significant. But it's not. Our whole life is saturated with emotions, and without them it would lose its meaning, and its attractiveness too. Best of all, of course, bright emotionally colored events are remembered. But we are able to remember not only the bitterness of resentment or the fireworks of first love, but also the tenderness of communication with our mother, the joy of meeting friends or getting an A at school.

Emotional memory has a pronounced associative character, that is, memories are activated in the process of establishing a connection - an association with some phenomenon or event. Often, some insignificant detail is enough for a waterfall of feelings that we once experienced to flood over us again. True, feelings-memories never reach the strength and energy that was inherent in them for the first time.

Emotional memory is also important because emotionally colored information associated with vivid feelings is best remembered and stored longer.

Verbal-logical memory

This type of memory is considered exclusively human. Pet lovers might argue that animals like dogs and cats can also remember words well. Yes it is. But words for them are simply combinations of sounds associated with one or another visual, auditory, olfactory image. In humans, verbal-logical memory has a semantic, conscious character.

That is, we remember words and their combinations not as sound images, but as certain meanings. And a vivid example of such semantic memorization can be the story of A.P. Chekhov "Horse surname". In it, a person remembered the surname according to the meaning, and then for a long time remembered this “horse” surname. And she turned out to be Ovsov. That is, it was the associative-semantic memorization that worked.

By the way, verbal-logical memory works better when you need to remember not individual words, but their meaningful constructions - sentences combined into a text that has a more detailed meaning. Verbal-logical memory is not only the youngest type, but also requiring conscious, purposeful development, that is, associated with memorization techniques and voluntary mental activity.

Types of memory: how we remember

The abundance of information entering the brain requires its sorting, and not everything that we receive through sensory channels is remembered by itself. Sometimes it takes effort to remember. Depending on the degree of activity of mental activity, memory is divided into involuntary and arbitrary.

involuntary memory

The dream of every schoolchild and student is that knowledge is memorized by itself without any effort. Indeed, a lot of information is remembered in this way - involuntarily, that is, without volitional efforts. But for the mechanism of involuntary memory to turn on, an important condition is necessary. What is remembered involuntarily is what attracted our involuntary attention:

bright, strong and unusual information (loud sounds, strong flashes, fantastic pictures);
vital information (situations associated with a threat to the life and health of the person himself and his loved ones, important, key events in life, etc.);
data related to the interests, hobbies and needs of a person;
emotionally colored information;
something that is directly related to professional or included in labor, creative activity.

Other information is not saved by itself, unless a smart student can get himself excited and interested in the learning material. Then, to remember it, you will have to make a minimum of effort.

Arbitrary memory

Any training, whether it be schoolwork or mastery of professional activities, contains not only bright, fascinating information, but also simply necessary information. It is necessary, though not very interesting, and should be remembered. That's what random memory is for.

This is not only and not even so much a simple conviction of oneself that “this must be kept in one’s head”. Arbitrary memory is, first of all, special memorization techniques. They are also called mnemonic techniques after the ancient Greek muse of memory Mnemosyne.

The first techniques of mnemonics were developed in ancient Greece, but they are still being used effectively, and many new techniques have been created to make it easier to memorize complex information. Unfortunately, most people are not familiar with them and simply use repeated repetition of information. This is, of course, the simplest, but also the least effective memorization technique. Up to 60% of information is lost in it, and it requires a lot of effort and time.

You got acquainted with the main types of memory that psychology studies and which are of fundamental importance in human life, in mastering knowledge and professional skills. But in various fields of science, one can also meet with other types of this mental process. For example, there are genetic, autobiographical, reconstructive, reproductive, episodic and other types of memory.