According to author Emilie Reas, a neuroscientist at the Brewer Lab at the University of California at San Diego, the psychological processes of interpreting, storage and retrieving information occur as the result of a series of important steps. The author’s paradigm emphasizes the processes significant for the study of creation, storage and deterioration of memories over time (Reas). The specific area of the brain in question holds the responsibility of developing memories-the hippocampus (Reas). Two distinct theories identify the ways in which memories become stored in the mind. Either the hippocampus “teaches” the surrounding areas of the brain, such as the cortex, how to represent memories and store them for later retrieval, or the hippocampus stores episodic memories while the cortex registers them as semantic memories (Reas). Studies indicate the reason why memories may change or fade over time involves the re-encoding of information into the brain each time individuals recall a memory. As a result, the process produces a very close but not identical new representation of the memory (Reas). Therefore, the more frequently an individual recalls memory, the stronger the imprint becomes in the brain even though details may get lost or changed during the re-encoding process (Reas). Furthermore, false memories develop when new information appears during the process of recalling memory, re-encoding new and old information simultaneously (Reas). Throughout the article, Reas articulates the decades of research in neuroscience pertinent to discovering how the brain handles memories continuously.
In the textbook, chapter 6 provides a definition on the topics of memory, encoding, storage and retrieval that establishes a paradigm for future study (pages 156-161). However, research suggests the textbook’s explanation adopts a linear approach to describing the paradigm’s processes (Wood, 156). In contrast, Reas asserts the encoding, storage and retrieval processes as a cycle. Wood’s textbook was published in 2007 before the research described in Reas’ article was complete and the process of encoding, storage and retrieval was more fully understood.
I found Reas’ article to be informative and essential for understanding the processes of the brain. The article outlines the key concepts in a tone readers can relate to while illustrating the processes of encoding and re-encoding. I feel comfortable with the way in which the author presented the information and would recommend the article for anyone conducting research on memories, particularly individuals seeking for information they can apply to themselves personally. For example, I feel that I can relate to this process and would be able to pinpoint specific memories that may have been altered or faded over my lifetime.
Several pieces of evidence contribute to the development of the recent theories Reas describes in the article. Many researchers study the abnormal cases of individuals possessing some form of brain damage and memory loss symptoms. For example, a famous case study on a patient referred to as H.M. allowed researchers to study how the removal of part of the hippocampus resulted in the inability for H.M. to form new memories (Carey). This surgically precise damage to the brain’s inner structure clearly caused specific, identifiable consequences that illustrate the procedural link of memory formation. Another piece of proof researchers pinpoint in support of these new theories includes the research conducted on patients who have had damage – not structural removal like that which H.M. experienced, but damage – to the hippocampus and have subsequently suffered the loss of old memories (Nadel & Moscovitch). This indicates the hippocampus must be in a functioning state in order to create new memories, even during circumstances in which certain damages erase older memories during the encoding and re-encoding processes (Nadel & Moscovitch). As the research on memory encoding, storage and retrieval persists, psychologists will continue to discover new information on the processes of the human brain and its specialized functions.
Works Cited
Carey, Benedict. “H.M., an Unforgettable Amnesiac, Dies at 82.” The New York Times. 4 December 2008.
Nadel, L. & M. Mosocovitch. “Memory Consolidation, Retrograde Amnesia and the Hippocampal Complex.” Current Opinions in Neurobiology, 7.2, (1997), 217-27.
Reas, Emilie. “Important New Theory Explains Where Old Memories Go.” Scientific American. 15 October 2013. Web.
Wood, Samuel E. The World of Psychology, 3rd Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2007. Print.