Some of the features of memory can be consolidated and become personality properties (memory properties of a given person). Memory in people manifests itself in different ways, differs in the content and volume of captured and stored information. Differences also relate to the strength of memory, the speed of memorization and reproduction, the strength of preservation and the accuracy of reproduction. An important property of human memory is its readiness, i.e. the ability to quickly and appropriately recall the necessary information.

People with a strong memory are characterized by quick memorization and long-term storage of information. There are people with exceptional memory power. So, A.S. Pushkin could recite a long poem (someone else's) by heart after reading it twice. Mozart memorized the most difficult pieces of music after one listening. Composer Balakirev could play entire symphonic works from memory.

Soviet psychologist A.L. Luria discovered an outstanding memory in a certain Shershevsky, who with the same speed memorized various material, including meaningless, and, moreover, in large volume. Shershevsky could quickly memorize and accurately reproduce the most complex mathematical formulas, meaningless, meaningless words, geometric figures. His memory was at the same time amazingly strong: after 20 years, he accurately recalled the content of the experimental material, the place of the experiment in which he participated, the experimenter's costume, and other minute details of the situation and his actions.

Individual differences in memory are also manifested in the type of representations a person mainly relies on when memorizing. Some remember better what they can see, others what they can hear, others what they can; be carried out practically. In accordance with this, visual, auditory and motor types of memory are distinguished. A person of the visual type of memory, remembering the text of a book, prefers to see it; a person of auditory type of memory - prefers to hear the content of the text in reading someone; a person with a motor type of memory must necessarily write down or speak the material being memorized. Most often there is a mixed type of memory - auditory-motor, visual-motor, visual-auditory. The mixed type of memory is more valuable than the single-sided type of memory because of the great variety practical activities person. In addition, the participation of several analyzers in memory processes leads to greater mobility in the use of the formed systems of neural connections: a person does not remember something by ear - he will remember visually, etc. Therefore, it is useful for students to memorize educational material in different ways: by listening to it, reading it, looking at illustrations, making sketches, observing, etc.

The type of memory depends not only on natural features nervous system, but also from education. In adults, the type of memory is exercised depending on the nature of their professional type. If such features of memory as the speed of memorization and reproduction, the strength of preservation, the accuracy of reproduction, the amount of memory and its readiness in their combination are clearly expressed in any person, are typical for him, then this also characterizes the type of his memory (“remembers quickly, poorly stores”, “slowly remembers, quickly loses”, etc.).

The cultivation of the positive properties of memory is greatly facilitated by the rationalization of mental and practical work of a person: order in the workplace, planning, self-control, the use of reasonable methods of memorization, the combination of mental work with practical work, a critical attitude towards one's activities, the ability to abandon inefficient work methods and borrow effective methods from other people, etc. Some individual differences in memory are closely related to special mechanisms that protect the brain from unnecessary information. The degree of activity of these mechanisms y different people different. The protection of the brain from unnecessary information explains, in particular, the phenomenon of hypnopedia, i.e. sleep learning. In the state of sleep, some of the mechanisms that protect the brain from redundant information are turned off, so memorization occurs faster.

They are determined both by the innate characteristics of the human psyche, and acquired by him in the process of life experience. The examples of phenomenal memory given in the previous section are the result of innate inclinations and, of course, systematic memory training.

People differ in the way they remember, store and reproduce information. This is manifested in the volume and speed of memorization, readiness to retrieve information from memory, reproduction accuracy. People have different memories regarding what they remember (numbers, dates, last names, faces, etc.). To a large extent, it depends on their professional activities.

A person can dominate different kinds memory: visual, auditory, emotional, etc. Paired dominance effects are sometimes observed. This is determined by the type of the leading sensory system of the individual. So, when preparing an answer for an exam, one student extracts entire pages of text from memory (leader - visual memory), another hears the voice of the teacher or his own voice, voicing the text just read (leader - auditory memory).

Sometimes there are cases that are commonly called phonographic memory: a person can accurately reproduce entire pages of unfamiliar text without comprehending its content.

Approximately 5% of children and extremely rarely in adults have eidetic abilities: after visual perception of an object, its bright and stable visual image persists for some time, which exceeds the time the images are stored in iconic memory.

The value of the short-term memory of an individual makes it possible to predict the success of his training with sufficient reliability for practice: E = 0.5 (V k.p.) +1, where E - learning success in points (2, 3, 4, 5) - V k .P. - the amount of short-term memory of a given person, determined by the results of testing.

The predominance of pessemism over optimism as a character trait predetermines the tendency of an individual to better remember unpleasant information. An optimist, on the contrary, retains pleasant information better, losing unpleasant facts. This is often said about him: "He is unforgiving and does not remember the evil that he brought to others."

Older people reproduce past events better than current ones. Children, on the contrary, do not retain events that are distant in time in their memory. Moreover, impressionability, liveliness of imagination and low self-criticism make them victims of involuntary self-hypnosis, exaggeration in the distortion of facts.

psyera.ru

Individual Features of Memory - General Psychology Library of Russian textbooks

Researchers note a significant diversity of individual characteristics in people, which is manifested in speed, accuracy, memory strength and readiness to reproduce.

Memorization speed is determined by the number of repetitions required to memorize new material. The accuracy of memorization is characterized by the correspondence of what is being reproduced to what was memorized.

The strength of memorization is manifested in the duration of the preservation of the memorized or the slowness of its forgetting. Readiness for reproduction - in how quickly and easily at the right time a person can remember the knowledge, skills, skills he needs.

Individual differences in memory are due to the type of higher nervous activity (HNA). When comparing memory efficiency indicators with the severity of the main three unconditional properties. GNI (strength, lability, poise) was established gradual relationship. people with strong nervous system have better memory performance when working in cramped conditions, because they have a more pronounced rate of utvanie conditioned reflexes. They find advantages in memorizing complex material with little logic. In people with a weak nervous system, there are advantages in memorizing logically connected verbal information.

Individuals with a labile nervous system have a greater productivity of involuntary memorization, with an inert one - advantages in arbitrary memorization

More arousing individuals show advantages in memorizing verbal material. Visual material is better remembered by faces with a predominance of inhibition

It has been established that people of choleric temperament are capable of fast and lasting memorization, they do not experience significant difficulties if it is necessary to quickly change them. Sanguine people smell quickly, but not very strongly. Phlegmatic people are characterized by slow but strong memorization. Melancholic people are similar to phlegmatic people in the dynamic aspects of memory, but they are characterized by increased vulnerability. That temperament affects not only the dynamics of the processes of memorization and reproduction, but also their emotional expressiveness. So, a sanguine person, even when worried, will tell beautifully, artistically, create the impression of a well-mannered person. Phlegmatic even in conflict situations states the facts without excessive emotionality, as if from the outside. The melancholic intensifies tears, grief, insurmountable barriers to success, will give the impression of an infantile person.

Individual qualitative differences in memory are manifested in the fact that in some people figurative material (objects, images, sounds, colors, etc.) is effectively fixed, in others - verbal logical material (concepts, images, thoughts, numbers, etc.), in still others, there is no clear predominance in memorizing certain material. Therefore, in psychology, visual-figurative, verbal-abstract and intermediate, or mixed, types of memory are distinguished. These types are partly due to the ratio of the first and second signaling systems in the higher nervous activity of a person, the main factors are living conditions and the requirements of professional activity. The visual-figurative type of memory is typical for painters, writers, musicians, verbal-abstract - for scientific. A mixed type of memory is observed in people whose activities do not remember any of the advantages of the type. Each of the types of memory is based on certain natural inclinations, but is also formed in the process of activity.

In the conditions of training and professional activity, the sensitization of the sense organs, the formation of a certain motivation and purposefulness, the mastery of rational ways of searching and processing information are carried out. All this ensures the high efficiency of memory both in identifying general patterns and in terms of its individual specificity in a particular person.

Uchebnikirus.com

Individual features of memory. Age features of memory

To date, almost all organs of our body have been studied. The exception to the rule is the brain and the functions it performs.

Researchers and physicians have always been interested in issues related to the work of the brain, namely, thinking, logic, and the human ability to be creative and memorize.

How memory works, how much information is stored in the head, why some people grasp everything on the fly, while others have to stubbornly cram the material - read about all this in our article.

Memory as the basis of knowledge

Memory is a unique ability of the brain to accumulate, store and reproduce the information received. It is interesting because, due to its lack of knowledge, it gives scientists a wide front for research. It is difficult to imagine how many opportunities will open up before a person, if he knows what her secret is ...

What happens?

Scientists distinguish two types of memory: short-term and long-term. Here you can draw a parallel with the computer. The first is similar to RAM and is designed to solve problems at a given time. The second - "reminds" a hard drive, where all important information is stored. True, unlike computer memory, human memory has a limited amount.

The cerebral cortex is responsible for short-term memory, and the hippocampus (part of the limbic system of the brain) is responsible for long-term memory.

Individual features of memory

Nature has endowed absolutely every person with the ability to memorize and reproduce information. Only for all individuals, this process occurs in different ways: one person is able to view the text once and retell it in detail, while another will have to delve into the essence of what he read for more than one hour.

True, it is possible that the first will forget the content of the text the next day, while the second will deposit it in the subcortex (in long-term memory) and emerge at an important moment.

Why is that? Because each individual has a unique brain, which means that the thought processes proceed in their own way.

In part, it is individual differences in memory that make people special. This is clearly seen in the productivity of memorization and types of memory. Let's consider in more detail.

Learning productivity

It implies speed, strength and accuracy of memorization. Another important feature of the productivity of memorization is the ability of a person to quickly reproduce the material. Let's take a closer look at its characteristics:

• Speed ​​is the amount of time it takes a person to learn a certain amount of information.
• Strength reflects how long the studied material will remain in your head, whether you quickly forget it, or, conversely, remember it forever.
• Accuracy reflects how close to the text you are able to reproduce the studied material. Do you remember the general meaning or, on the contrary, focus on the details? It's great if your memory is such that you remember both the general outline of the story and the bright details of the plot.

Types of memory by sense organs

Individual characteristics an individual's memory can be found in the next section.

From childhood, each person learns to perceive information in his own way. Someone clearly remembers the words of the song, someone is able to skillfully repeat a beautiful dance, and someone just looks at the table to understand the key points of its content.

Scientists have noticed this for a long time. To date, seven types of memory are distinguished according to the sense organs used:

• Visual memory is the ability of a person to perceive and reproduce what he saw. The most common type of memory.
• Auditory memory - information is perceived by ear. It is well developed among musicians, conductors and translators. By the way, Mozart owned it to perfection.
• Motor memory is well developed in dancers. This is the ability of a person to reproduce the most complex dance movements. Michael Jackson had a unique motor memory.
• Taste memory is well developed among gourmets and wine tasters. These people perfectly remember and distinguish tastes. Such individuals can be bowed down in a good way: they will never touch low-quality food.
• Olfactory memory is the ability to subtly sense and distinguish smells. Perfumers own it 100%. But there are also just people who are acutely sensitive to smells. For such individuals, a trip in public transport in the summer turns into a real torture.
• Tactile memory is the ability to remember the shape of an object after touching it. A rather rare type of memory.
• Emotional memory is a rather interesting phenomenon. People with this type of memory perfectly remember all the vivid impressions. Here an interesting correlation arises: the stronger the emotions experienced by a person, the better he remembers information. The individual features of the memory of such people are of interest to scientists.

Form or meaning?

The features of human memory are also characterized by the way in which a person memorizes the necessary material.

In this section, we will look at why some people grasp information on the fly, while others spend their evenings reading textbooks. It is the individual characteristics of people's memory that are responsible for this. The former have a better developed logical memory, while others have a mechanical one. Let's try to figure out what the fundamental difference between them is.

mechanical memory

Mechanical memory refers to remembering useful information in the form in which it was originally presented.

If you are able to read a verse a couple of times and recite it without errors, this particular type of memory is well developed in you. The same applies to dance movements: a person with a developed mechanical memory will calmly reproduce them after one or two repetitions of the coach.

Mechanical memory is characteristic of:

• translators;
• linguists;
• polyglots;
• conductors;
• musicians;
• dancers.

This type of memory also has a minus. Let's try to clearly demonstrate it with an example.

A person performs the same physical exercise to improve posture while standing. He taught me exactly how to do it right. But then the coach asks to change the position and start performing a similar exercise in the prone position. This is where a problem may arise. A person remembers the technique exactly, but does not understand the essence of the exercise. Only logical memory can help in this case, we will talk about it further.

logical memory

Means the ability of a person to understand the meaning of the studied material. How to determine if nature has rewarded you with logical memory? Pretty simple. If you study any text and grasp quickly main idea, that is, they are able to isolate the most basic from many, many words - you are a happy owner of it.

Students with this type of memory do not engage in meaningless cramming of exam tickets, but try to read them thoughtfully and understand what is at stake. This way of mastering the material is more productive: you not only begin to really navigate the topic studied, but also keep invaluable knowledge in your head for a long time.

The same applies to physical exercise. Before starting to randomly repeat the execution technique after the trainer, it would be more logical to delve into its features (for example, to understand what muscles it is designed for). After that, the learning process will go much faster and more interesting.

The problem of forgetfulness is one of the most common in people. There are a great many reasons why we can forget something, ranging from a banal lack of sleep to excessive immersion in our thoughts.

You should not blame yourself for forgetting to turn off the computer again, take the necessary papers or call relatives. You need to try to find the cause of your absent-mindedness and effectively eliminate it.

Here are four interesting memory exercises:

• Keep a sprig of rosemary or rosemary-based essential oil with you. It has long been proven that smells evoke memories in people. For example, the scent of cut grass is associated with childhood and a sense of peace for many people. But the smell of rosemary is recognized as special. Scientists from Northumbria University have proven this empirically.
• Play associations. Try to link new information to what is already in memory. Let's say you need to remember some date (for example, the number 11). Imagine that the units are two thin silhouettes walking ahead of you down the street. The same applies to the memorization of foreign words. You want to learn how to say dandelion in English. Find these flowers, look at them and say dandelion out loud a few times.
• Go for a walk. It has been proven that being in the fresh air has a beneficial effect on the state of memory. The most interesting thing is that this applies only to moderate physical exertion: strength training is incapable of this, scientists from the University of Illinois came to this conclusion.
• Teach foreign language. Thus, you not only develop your brain, but also acquire a useful skill.

It should be remembered that there are age features memory. Only the person who is constantly interested in something and is fond of something can avoid them.

To train the brain of a small child, only the sincere desire of the parent to engage in the development of his baby is important only half an hour once a day. A child needs to be engaged from childhood: the development of memory in children occurs up to 10 years.

Features of children's memory are similar to the previous ones, characteristic of adults. It is best to develop a child from an early age. school age: small man is ready to perceive information in a playful way.

Here are the most effective memory exercises:

• "Picture". The child is shown a photo (interesting and colorful) for a few seconds, and then removed. Next, the parent asks the child to tell in their own words about the image taken away on it.
• "Find the difference." Children's magazines always have a ready-made page with similar exercises, look there more often.
• "Remember the sequence." 7 objects are laid out in front of the child in a certain sequence. For a while he remembers them. Next, you ask him to turn away for a while and change the arrangement of objects. Then ask what has changed (preferably remember the sequence yourself).

With the help of these simple exercises, visual memory is developed.

How to memorize material quickly and effectively?

Everyone remembers what the night before a responsible exam is like: the very moment when you need to fill your brain with a huge amount of information in 5-6 hours (it will be forgotten anyway, but the task does not become less important from this).

Let's share useful tips that really work.

• Visualize information using a diagram or drawing.
• Draw a parallel. If the material being studied is really complex, compare it with something simple and understandable. Any complex thing can be decomposed into several simpler ones.
• Build a chart. Self-systematization of information is the right way to successfully master the material.
• Draw a picture in your head about the subject being studied. Suitable for people with a good imagination.
• Write subject notes. It’s good if you manage to come up with three or four words that will gradually pop up in your head general information by ticket.
• Well, lastly, crunch the material a little. This method works very often.

fb.ru

25. Memory, its types and processes. Individual features of people's memory.

Most psychologists recognize the existence of three levels of memory, differing in how long information can be stored on each of them. In accordance with this, there are direct, or sensory, memory, short-term memory and long-term memory.

Sensory memory. Short-term and long-term memory. As its name implies, sensory memory is a primitive process carried out at the level of receptors. Sperling showed that traces in it remain only for a very short time - on the order of 1/4 second, and during this time the question is decided whether it will attract reticular formation attention of the higher parts of the brain to the received signals. If this does not happen, then in less than a second the traces are erased and the sensory memory is filled with new signals.

A special case of sensory memory is sequential images. They occur when the retina is exposed to a strong or prolonged stimulus.

Short-term memory is characterized not only by a certain duration of information retention, but also by capacity, i.e., the ability to simultaneously store a certain number of heterogeneous elements of information.

Short-term memory has been found to last for about 20 seconds; during this time, very little information is stored - for example, some number or several syllables of three or four letters.

Storing something in memory involves three processes. The first of these is coding, during which the information that will be stored is highlighted. The second is the actual storage of information and its association with the one that is already in memory. And finally, the third stage is the extraction (reproduction) of the stored information; without it, we could never know what we really remember.

The encoding process begins already at the stage of sensory memory, when physical characteristics stimulus. Archiving is the accumulation of material in memory. Depending on whether episodic or semantic memory is involved, archiving occurs in different ways. This important subdivision of the two forms of memory was introduced by Tulving.

The efficiency of information retrieval is closely related to how well the material is organized in memory. Indeed, information is always reproduced on the basis of the structure in which it was remembered.

The processes of memory in different people proceed differently. It is well known that some people remember quickly, others slowly, some remember for a long time, others soon forget, some reproduce accurately, others make many mistakes, some can remember a large amount of information, others remember only a few lines.

The first differentiation of memory types has to do with how the sensory area serves as the best basis for recall. Some people remember visual data better, others - auditory, and others - motor data. One person, in order to remember, must read the text himself, and in his recollection a predominantly visual image is restored; in another, auditory perceptions and representations play the same predominant role; the third one has motor ones: the text is fixed in him best of all by writing. Pure types are rare, and usually mixed are observed: visual-motor, motor-auditory and visual-auditory types of memory. For most people, the dominant type is the visual type of memorizing objects and the verbal-motor type when memorizing verbal material. There are, however, people with a pronounced visual type of memorization of verbal material, which sometimes approaches the "eidetic" type of memory.

Memory is also differentiated by the nature of the best remembered material. A good memory for color can be paired with a bad memory for numbers, and vice versa. Memory for visual-figurative and abstract content, for mathematical formulas and for emotional experiences can be different. All features of perception and thinking, sensory and emotional spheres are manifested inside the memory.

1) by the speed of memorization;

2) by its strength or duration;

3) by the number or volume of memorized and

4) by accuracy.

For each of these qualities, one person's memory may differ from another's.

Finally, it is necessary to distinguish between a more direct, sometimes approaching eidetic, type of memory (as, for example, in Z. Freud) and a more indirect one, based on a good organization of mental work skills. The first is mostly brighter, the second is stronger. The first is predominantly figurative, the second - speech.

Speaking about the types of memory, it must be borne in mind that the characteristics of the processes of memorization (speed, strength, etc.) depend on who and what memorizes, on the specific attitude of a given person to what is to be memorized.

Memory disorders occupy a special place in memory research. Studies of the pathology of memory are theoretically important, since they make it possible to find out which structures or factors are involved in the course of mnemonic activity, as well as to compare data on disturbed links in mnemonic activity with the system of views on the formation of memory processes developed by Russian psychologists.

Memory disorders can be based on a variety of factors that give rise to various types of disorders, most of which belong to the category of amnesia. Amnesia is a memory impairment in the form of a loss of the ability to retain and reproduce previously acquired knowledge. So, one of the most studied disorders of direct (involuntary) memory is a violation of memory for current events while maintaining a relatively good memory for past events. This type of memory impairment is called fixative amnesia. A number of experimental data indicate that in this case we are talking about a violation of reproduction.

Memory disorders often extend not only to current events, but also to past ones: patients do not remember the past, confuse it with the present, shift the chronology of events, that is, they are disoriented in time and space. In such patients, memory impairment is often progressive. In this case, we are talking about progressive amnesia. Along with this, the distant past preserved in the memory acquires special relevance in the mind of the patient. Violations of this kind develop according to the "reverse motion of memory" proposed and justified by the French psychologist Théodule Ribot (1839-1916).

Patients with damage to the frontal lobes of the brain, as a rule, do not lose their memory, but their mnemonic activity can be significantly hampered by the pathological inertia of stereotypes that have arisen once and difficult switching from one link of the memory system to another.

studfiles.net

10.4. Individual features of memory and its development

The processes of memory in different people proceed differently. At present, it is customary to single out two main groups of individual differences in memory: the first group includes differences in the productivity of memorization, and the second group includes differences in the so-called types of memory. Differences in the productivity of memorization are expressed in the speed, strength and accuracy of memorization, as well as in readiness to reproduce the material. It is well known that some people remember quickly, others slowly, some remember for a long time, others soon forget, some reproduce accurately, others make many mistakes, some can remember a large amount of information, others remember only a few lines. So, people with a strong memory are characterized by quick memorization and long-term storage of information. There are people with exceptional memory power.

For example, A. S. Pushkin could recite a long poem written by another author by heart after reading it twice. Another example is W. A. ​​Mozart, who memorized the most difficult pieces of music after one listening. Domestic science knows examples of phenomenal memory. So, A. L. Luria discovered an outstanding memory in a certain Sh., who memorized various material with the same speed, including meaningless, and, moreover, in an extremely large volume. W. could quickly memorize and accurately reproduce the most complex mathematical formulas, devoid of meaning, meaningless words, geometric shapes. Moreover, his memory was remarkable for its amazing strength: after 20 years, he accurately recalled the content of the experimental material, the place of the experiment in which he participated, as well as what the experimenter was wearing, and other minute details of the situation and his actions. Is there a relationship between how quickly a person remembers and how long he remembers? Experimental studies showed that there is no strict regularity here. More often there is a positive relationship between the strength and speed of memorization, i.e., the one who memorizes quickly remembers longer, but along with this, the opposite relationship is also observed. There is also no definite relationship between the speed and accuracy of memorization. Another group of individual differences concerns the types of memory. The type of memory determines how a person remembers material - visually, by ear or using movement. Some people, in order to remember, need visual perception of what they remember. These are people of the so-called visual type of memory. Others need auditory imagery to remember. This category of people has an auditory type of memory. In addition, there are people who, in order to remember, need movements and especially speech movements. These are people who have a motor type of memory (in particular, speech-motor). However, pure memory types are not as common. As a rule, most people have mixed types. So, most often there are mixed types of memory - auditory-motor, visual-motor, visual-auditory. A mixed type of memory increases the likelihood of fast and long-term memorization. In addition, the participation of several analyzers in memory processes leads to greater mobility in the use of the formed systems of neural connections: for example, a person does not remember something by ear - he will remember visually. Therefore, it is advisable for a person to memorize information different ways: by listening, reading, looking at illustrations, making sketches, observing, etc. The type of memory depends not only on the natural characteristics of the nervous system, but also on education. The teacher, activating the activity of various analyzers of students in the lesson, thereby brings up a mixed type of memory in children. In adults, the type of memory may depend on the nature of their professional activities. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that types of memory should be distinguished from types of memory. The types of memory are determined by what we remember. And since any person remembers everything: movements, images, feelings, and thoughts, then different types memories are inherent in all people and do not constitute their individual characteristics. At the same time, the type of memory characterizes how we remember: visually, auditory or motor. Therefore, the type of memory is an individual feature of a given person. All people have all kinds of memory, but each person has a certain type of memory. Belonging to one type or another is largely determined by the practice of memorization, that is, by what exactly a given person has to remember and how he learns to remember. Therefore, a certain type of memory can be developed through appropriate exercises. In general, the initial manifestation of memory can be considered conditioned reflexes observed already in the first months of a child's life, for example, the cessation of crying when the mother enters the room. A more distinct manifestation of memory is revealed when the child begins to recognize objects. This is first observed at the end of the first six months of life, and at first recognition is limited to a narrow circle of objects: the child recognizes the mother, other people who constantly surround him, things with which he often deals. Moreover, all this is recognizable if there is no long break in the perception of the object. If the time interval between recognition and perception of an object (the so-called "latent period") was large enough, then the child may not recognize the object presented to him. Usually this hidden period should not exceed a few days, otherwise the child will not be able to recognize anything or anyone. Gradually, the circle of objects that the child learns increases. The latent period is also lengthening. By the end of the second year of life, the child may recognize what he saw a few weeks before. By the end of the third year - what was perceived a few months ago, and by the end of the fourth - what was about a year ago. First of all, recognition is manifested in the child, while reproduction is detected much later. The first signs of reproduction are observed only in the second year of life. It is the short duration of the latent period that explains the fact that our first memories of childhood belong to the period of four or five years of age. Initially, memory is involuntary. In preschool and preschool age children usually do not set themselves the task of remembering anything. The development of arbitrary memory in preschool age occurs in games and in the process of education. Moreover, the manifestation of memorization is associated with the interests of the child. Children remember better what interests them. It should also be emphasized that at preschool age, children begin to memorize meaningfully, that is, they understand what they remember. At the same time, children mainly rely on visually perceived connections between objects and phenomena, and not on abstract logical relationships between concepts. The rapid development of memory characteristics occurs during school years. It has to do with the learning process. The process of assimilation of new knowledge predetermines the development of, first of all, arbitrary memory. Unlike a preschooler, a schoolchild is forced to memorize and reproduce not what is interesting to him, but what the school curriculum gives. Under the influence of the requirements of the school, memorization and reproduction become more and more arbitrary and become much more

This is interesting

childhood amnesia

One of the most amazing features of human memory is that there is a type of amnesia that everyone suffers from: almost no one can remember what happened to him in the first year of his life, although this time is most rich in experience. This curious phenomenon was first noticed by Freud, who called it childhood amnesia. He discovered this phenomenon by observing that his patients were generally unable to remember the events of the first three to five years of their lives. At first, you might think that this is not unusual, since the memory of events is erased over time and between early childhood and adult life a lot of time has passed. But childhood amnesia cannot be reduced to simple forgetting. Most 30 year olds can remember a lot about their years in high school , but very rarely any of the 18-year-olds will be able to say anything about their life at the age of three, although the time interval is approximately the same here and there (about 15 years). Some studies have asked people to reproduce and date memories from their childhood. Most of them had their earliest memories of events that happened when they were three years old or older; very few, however, were able to articulate memories prior to the age of one year. But there is one problem with their reports: you can never be sure that the "remembered" event actually happened (perhaps the person reconstructed what he thought happened). This problem was overcome in an experiment in which subjects were asked a total of 20 questions about an event from their childhood that was known to have occurred - the birth of a younger brother or sister; the details of such an event can be verified from another person. The questions asked of each subject related to events that occurred when the mother left for the hospital (eg, "What time of day did she leave?"), while she was in the hospital, and when the mother and baby returned home. The subjects were students, and their age at the time of the birth of a brother or sister ranged from one year to 17 years. The results of this study showed that if a brother or sister was born before the subject reached the age of three, he could not remember anything about it. If the birth occurred at the age of more than three years, the number of memories increased along with the age at the time of this event. These results indicate an almost complete amnesia in the first three years of life. Why does childhood amnesia occur? Freud believed that this is due to the suppression of sexual and aggressive feelings experienced by a small child in relation to his parents. But this explanation predicts amnesia only for events involving sexual and aggressive thoughts, when in fact childhood amnesia extends to all events. A more appropriate explanation is that childhood amnesia is a consequence of the enormous difference between the experience of encoding information in young children and the organization of memories in adults. In adults, memories are built into categories and patterns (for example, she is such and such a person, this is such and such a situation), while young children encode their experiences without generalizing them and not connecting them with adjacent events. Once the child begins to assimilate the connections between events and categorize events, early experiences are lost. Why does this transition from infant to adult form of memory organization occur? One reason is biological development. The hippocampus, a brain structure involved in the consolidation of memories, matures about a year or two after birth. Therefore, the events that occur in the first two years of life cannot be consolidated sufficiently, and therefore they cannot be reproduced later. Other reasons for switching to adult memory better explained on a psychological level. This includes cognitive factors such as language development and early schooling. Both the language and the mindset fostered by the school create new ways of organizing experience that may not be compatible with the way young children code experience. Curiously, the development of speech reaches its first peak at the age of three, schooling begins at the age of five, and, apparently, it is between three and five years that childhood amnesia ends.

By: Atkinson R. L., Atkinson R. S., Smith E. E. et al. Introduction to Psychology: A Textbook for Universities / Per. from English. under. ed. V. P. Zinchenko. - M.: Trivola, 1999.

more active, therefore schooling from a certain point of view can be considered as a complex system for training the memory of a young person. In the process of learning, the student learns to set himself differentiated tasks for memorization educational material, i.e., determines the way of memorizing and reproducing information, depending on the level of its complexity, and gradually masters meaningful memorization. By itself, the development of memory does not occur. This requires a whole system of education of memory. The upbringing of the positive properties of memory is greatly facilitated by the rationalization of a person’s mental and practical work: order in the workplace, planning, self-control, the use of reasonable methods of memorization, the combination of mental work with practical, a critical attitude to one’s activity, the ability to abandon inefficient work methods and borrow from other people effective techniques. Some individual differences in memory are closely related to special mechanisms that protect the brain from unnecessary information. The degree of activity of these mechanisms varies from person to person. The protection of the brain from unnecessary information explains, in particular, the phenomenon of hypnopedia, i.e. learning in a dream. In the state of sleep, some of the mechanisms that protect the brain from redundant information are turned off, so memorization occurs faster. Memory disorders occupy a special place in memory research. Studies of the pathology of memory are theoretically important, since they make it possible to find out which structures or factors are involved in the course of mnemonic activity, as well as to compare data on disturbed links in mnemonic activity with the system of views on the formation of memory processes developed by Russian psychologists. Memory disorders can be based on a variety of factors that give rise to various types of disorders, most of which belong to the category of amnesia. Amnesia is a memory disorder in the form of a loss of the ability to retain and reproduce previously acquired knowledge. So, one of the most studied disorders of direct (involuntary) memory is a violation of memory for current events while maintaining a relatively good memory for past events. This type of memory impairment is called fixative amnesia. Such patients can correctly name events from their childhood, school life, dates of social life, but they cannot remember whether they dined today, whether relatives visited them, whether a doctor spoke with them today, etc. A number of experimental data indicate that in this case we are talking about a violation of reproduction. Memory disorders often extend not only to current events, but also to past ones: patients do not remember the past, confuse it with the present, shift the chronology of events, that is, they are disoriented in time and space. In such patients, memory impairments are often progressive in nature: first, the ability to remember current events decreases, events are erased in memory recent years and partly - a long time ago. In this case, we are talking about progressive amnesia. Along with this, the distant past preserved in the memory acquires special relevance in the mind of the patient. Violations of this kind develop according to the "reverse motion of memory" proposed and justified by the French psychologist Théodule Ribot (1839-1916).

From the history of psychology

phenomenal memory

“I began to study Sh. with the usual curiosity for a psychologist, but without much hope that the experiments would give something remarkable. However, even the first trials changed my attitude and caused a state of confusion and bewilderment, this time not in the subject, but in the experimenter. I offered Sh. a series of words, then numbers, then letters, which I either read slowly or presented in writing. He listened attentively to a series or read it and then repeated the material presented to him in exact order. I increased the number of elements presented to him, gave 30, 50, 70 words or numbers - this did not cause any difficulties. Sh. did not need any memorization, and if I presented him with a series of words or numbers, slowly and separately reading them, he listened carefully, sometimes asked to stop or say the word more clearly, sometimes, doubting whether he heard the word correctly, he asked him again . Usually during the experiment he closed his eyes or looked at one point. When the experiment was over, he asked for a pause, mentally checked what he was holding, and then smoothly, without delay, reproduced the entire read row. Experience has shown that with the same ease he could reproduce a long series and in reverse order - from the end to the beginning; he could easily tell which word followed which and which word was in the row before those named. In the latter cases, he paused, as if trying to find the right word, and then answered the question easily, usually without making mistakes. It was indifferent to him whether meaningful words or meaningless syllables, numbers or sounds were presented to him, whether they were given orally or in writing; he needed only that one element of the proposed series be separated from the other by a pause of two or three seconds, and the subsequent reproduction of the series did not cause him any difficulties. Soon the experimenter began to experience a feeling that turned into confusion. Increasing the series did not lead Sh. to any noticeable increase in difficulties, and had to admit that the amount of his memory has no clear boundaries. The experimenter turned out to be powerless in what seemed to be the simplest task for a psychologist - measuring the amount of memory. I made Sh. a second, then a third meeting. They were followed by whole line meetings. Some meetings were separated by days and weeks, some by years. These meetings further complicated the experimenter's position. It turned out that Sh.'s memory had no clear boundaries, not only in its scope, but also in the strength of holding traces. Experiments have shown that he can successfully and without noticeable difficulty reproduce any long series of words given to him a week, a month, a year, many years ago. Some of these experiments, which invariably ended in success, were carried out 15-16 years (!) After the initial memorization of the series and without any warning. In such cases, Sh. sat down, closed his eyes, paused, and then said: “Yes, yes ... it was in your apartment ... you were sitting at the table, and I was on a rocking chair ... you were in gray dressed in a suit and looked at me like this ... so ... I see what you told me ... "- and then followed the unmistakable reproduction of the row read. If we take into account that Sh., who by this time had become a famous mnemonist and had to memorize many hundreds and thousands of rows, this fact became even more surprising.

From: Luria A. R. A little book about great memory: the mind of a mnemonist // Reader in psychology. Psychology of memory. Under. ed. Yu. 5. Gippenreiter, V. Ya. Romanova. - M.: CheRo, 1998.

The development of the disease begins with the loss of memory for a while, then memory is lost for recent events, and then for long past ones. First the facts are forgotten, then the feelings, the last to be destroyed is the memory of habits. Memory recovery goes in reverse order. For example, when polyglots have memory impairment, the last thing they forget is their native language. And when memory functions are restored, they first of all have the ability to speak mother tongue. In other cases, memory may be impaired by its dynamics. Such patients memorize and reproduce material well for some period of time, but after a short time they cannot do this. If a person with such a memory impairment is asked to remember 10 words, then after the second or third presentation he will remember 6-7 words, after the fifth - only 3 words, and after the sixth - again 6-8. These patients sometimes reproduce in detail the content of a fable, a story, then suddenly they are not able to convey a very easy plot. Thus, in this case, mnemonic activity is intermittent. Its dynamic side is broken. Patients with damage to the frontal lobes of the brain, as a rule, do not lose their memory, but their mnemonic activity can be significantly hampered by the pathological inertia of stereotypes that have arisen once and difficult switching from one link of the memory system to another. Research carried out for recent decades, allowed us to get closer to the characterization of those memory disorders that occur with cerebral disorders of mental activity. If these disorders cause weakness and instability of excitations in the cerebral cortex, memory impairment can be expressed in a general decrease in memory capacity, difficulty in learning and easy inhibition of traces by interfering influences. Interestingly, in cases of mental retardation, disturbances in logical memory may occur against the background of well-preserved mechanical memory, which in some cases may be satisfactory in terms of its volume.

Control questions

1. Describe memory as a cognitive mental process.

2. What theories of memory do you know?

3. Expand Aristotle's views on the problem of associations.

4. Tell us about the studies of memory conducted by G. Ebbinghaus.

5. What is a quasi-need and how does it affect the productivity of memorization?

6. Describe the main types of memory.

7. Describe the main types of memorization.

8. What basic techniques and methods of arbitrary memorization do you know?

9. Tell us about the studies of memorization processes in the works of P. I. Zinchenko and A. A. Smirnov.

10. Describe the processes of reproduction and recognition.

11. What do you know about voluntary and involuntary reproduction?

12. What is the difference between the process of reproduction and recognition?

13. What is the connection between recognition and reproduction with such processes as will and thinking?

14. Tell us about the law of forgetting discovered by G. Ebbinghaus. What ways and methods aimed at slowing down the processes of forgetting do you know?

15. Tell us about the phenomena of retroactive inhibition and retrograde amnesia.

16. Tell us about the individual characteristics of memory.

17. What are the main memory disorders you know?

1. Atkinson R. Human memory and the learning process / Per. from English. under the general editorship. Yu. M. Zabrodina, B. F. Lomov. - M.: Progress, 1980.

2. Blonsky P. P. Selected pedagogical and psychological works: In 2 vols. T. 2 / Ed. A. V. Petrovsky. - M.: Pedagogy, 1979.

3. Wayne A. M., Kamenetskaya B. I. Human memory. - M.: Nauka, 1973.

4. Granovskaya R. M. Elements practical psychology. - St. Petersburg: Light, 1997.

5. Zinchenko P. I. Involuntary memorization. - M.: Publishing house of APN RSFSR, 1961.

6. Lindsay P., NormanD. Information processing in humans: Introduction to psychology / Per. from English. ed. A. R. Luria. - M.: Mir, 1974.

7. Leontiev A. N. Selected psychological works: In 2 vols. T. 1 / Ed. V. V. Davydova and others - M .: Pedagogy, 1983.

8. Luria A. R. Attention and memory. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1975.

9. Rubinshtein S. L. Fundamentals general psychology. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 1999.

10. Smirnov A. A. Problems of the psychology of memory. - M.: Enlightenment, 1966.

11. Reader in General Psychology: Psychology of Memory / Ed. Yu. B. Gippenreiter, V. Ya. Romanova. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1979.

studfiles.net

41. Individual features of memory.

Researchers note a significant variety of individual characteristics of memory in people, which is manifested in the speed, accuracy, strength of memorization and readiness for reconstruction.

The speed of memorization is determined by the number of repetitions required to memorize new material, the accuracy - by the correspondence of what is reproduced to that of memorization.

The strength of memorization is manifested in the duration of the memorized or its slow forgetting, readiness for re-creation in how quickly and easily at the right time a person can remember the knowledge, skills, skills she needs.

Individual differences in memory are due to the type of higher nervous activity (HEA). When comparing the indicators of memory efficiency with the expressiveness of the main three unconditional properties of VID (strength, lability, balance), gradual relationships were established. People with a strong nervous system have better memory performance when working in complicated conditions, since they have a more pronounced rate of formation of conditioned reflexes. They find advantages in memorizing complex material with insufficient logic. In people with a weak nervous system, there are advantages in remembering logically connected verbal information.

Individuals with a labile nervous system have a greater performance of spontaneous memorization, while an inert one has advantages in voluntary memorization. More arousing individuals find advantages in memorizing verbal material. Visual material is better remembered by faces with a predominance of inhibition.

It has been established that people of choleric temperament are capable of fast and lasting memorization, while they are not characterized by flexibility in using what they have learned. Sanguine people remember quickly, but not very strongly. Phlegmatic people are characterized by slow "but strong memorization. Melancholic people are similar to phlegmatic people in the dynamic aspects of memory work, while being characterized by increased vulnerability. Temperament affects not only the dynamics of the processes of memorization and reproduction, but also their emotional expressiveness. So, a sanguine person, even when worried, will tell beautifully, artistically, create the impression of a well-mannered person.A phlegmatic person, even in conflict situations, states the facts without excessive emotionality, as if from the outside.Melancholic intensifies tears, grief, not picky barriers on the path to success, gives the impression of an infantile person.

Individual qualitative differences in memory turn out to be fatigue, that some people more effectively fix figurative material (objects, images, sounds, colors, etc.), others - verbal logical (concepts, thoughts, numbers, etc.), others - still memorize different material. Therefore, in P, visual-figurative, verbal-abstract and intermediate, or mixed, types of memory are distinguished. These types are partly due to the ratio of the first and second signaling systems in the higher nervous activity of a person, the main factors are living conditions and the requirements of professional activity. The visual-figurative type of memory is typical for painters, writers, musicians, verbal-abstract - for scientists. Each of the types of memory is based on certain natural inclinations, but is also formed in the process of activity.

In the conditions of training and professional activity, the sensitization of the sense organs, the formation of a certain motivation and purposefulness, the mastery of rational ways of searching and processing information are carried out. All this ensures the high efficiency of memory both in identifying general patterns and in terms of its individual properties.

studfiles.net

Individual features of memory. Lectures on General Psychology

Individual features of memory

So far, we have focused on the general patterns of human memory. However, there are individual differences in which the memory of some people differs from the memory of others.

These individual differences in memory may be of two kinds. On the one hand, the memory of different subjects differs in the predominance of one or another modality - visual, auditory, motor; on the other hand, the memory of different people may differ in the level of its organization.

It is known that in some people the visual type prevails, in others - auditory, in others - the motor type of memory. This can be easily seen by comparing how various people imprinting the same visual structure, and analyzing the ways in which they remember some content (for example, a phone number or last name).

Similar facts can be observed in auditory memory. Individual differences here are very large, and if in history there were cases when a complex piece of music heard once was retained and completely repeated by people with a pronounced auditory memory, then many observations are known of people who are almost completely unable to save for any long term musical melody.

In the noted individual differences in memory, both congenital (genotypic) features and professional activities of people are manifested, which leads to a high development of visual, auditory, and sometimes taste memory.

Characteristic features of memory can also appear in the fact that different subjects solve the same problem in completely different ways, for example, keeping a phone number or an unfamiliar name in memory. It is known that some prominent musicians (for example, the famous composer S. Prokofiev) indicated that they memorize phone numbers as well-known musical melodies, while other subjects see the phone number written on the blackboard and memorize it visually.

Especially great importance have, however, differences in the methods of memorization and in the level of organization of memory in different individuals.

As observations show, in some individuals, direct, sensory (visual, auditory, motor) forms of memorization prevail, while in others, memorization is predominantly in the nature of complex coding of the material, turning it into verbal-logical schemes. This is what I. P. Pavlov had in mind when he divided people into two groups, one of which belongs to the "artistic" and the other to the "thinking" type. Individual differences in memory are by no means always only particular features that do not go beyond the limits of mnestic processes. Often they lead to significant changes in the structure of the entire personality of a person.

A. R. Luria described one of such cases with the famous Soviet mnemonist Sh.

This man had a visual eidetic memory that was amazing in its power. He easily held huge tables of numbers, words and continued to "see" them, at the same time "felt" them in the form of sounds, sound shades (synesthesias). Therefore, it was not difficult for him to reproduce huge material after significant intervals of time, sometimes calculated for many years.

Essential for Sh. was, however, the fact that the unusual features of his memory were reflected in the structure of his thinking and the characteristics of his personality.

Possessing an exceptional visual memory, Sh. easily solved challenging tasks, if their solution could proceed in a visual plan and was based on the ability to visually fix the material and operate with visual images. However, for him it was often an insurmountable difficulty to solve those abstract problems that required a distraction from visual images, the solution of which in a visual plan was impossible. Therefore, the understanding of complex and abstract logic-grammatical structures often proceeded not easier for him, but much more difficult than for people who did not have such a strong visual-figurative memory.

Of greatest interest, however, is Sh's personality trait. ordinary person, very blurry. Therefore, Sh.'s behavior was often distinguished by impracticality, a shift in reality and fantasy, and the superpowerful development of visual figurative memory led to the formation of special features of his personality as a whole.

The Psychology of Stress Sapolsky

Memory- one of the mental functions and types of mental activity, designed to store, accumulate and reproduce information; the ability to store information about events for a long time outside world and reactions of the body and repeatedly use it in the sphere of consciousness to organize subsequent activities.

Types of memory are classified according to three main criteria:

1) by the nature of the goals of the activity- on voluntary and involuntary;

involuntary memory is characterized by the fact that memorization and reproduction occurs automatically and without much effort on the part of a person, without setting a special mnemonic task (for memorization, recognition, preservation or reproduction).

Arbitrary (intentional) memory It is characterized by a specific goal and task to learn and reproduce the material using certain techniques.

2) according to the duration of fixing and preservation of the material- for instant, short-term, long-term and operational;

instant memory- this is the first stage of processing information coming from outside, it is formed passively, with its help the body retains a fairly accurate and complete picture for a very short time.

short term memory- this is a memory in which the storage of material is limited to a certain, as a rule, a small period of time. Information about an external object goes from instantaneous memory to short-term memory.

long term memory provides long-term preservation of knowledge, skills and abilities and contains a huge amount of information that a person may need throughout his life.

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.

3) by the nature of mental activity, prevailing in activity - into motor (motor), emotional, figurative and verbal-logical.

Motor (or motor) memory- memorization, preservation and reproduction of various movements, memory for posture, body position.

Emotional (or affective) memory- this is the memorization and reproduction of sensory perceptions together with the objects that cause them.

figurative memory- this is the memorization of sensory images of objects, phenomena and their properties (depending on the type of analyzer that perceives information, figurative memory is divided into visual, auditory, tactile, etc.).

Verbal-logical memory associated with memorization, recognition and reproduction of thoughts, concepts, conclusions, etc. A feature of this type of memory is that thoughts do not exist without language, therefore memory for them is called not just logical, but verbal-logical.

Depending on the role of the main analyzers memory type May be visual, auditory and motor. Some people need to remember visual perception what is remembered (visual type). Others need auditory perceptions or at least auditory images (auditory type) to remember. Still others, finally, for memorization need movements and, in particular, speech movements (motor and, in particular, speech-motor type).

Individual memory features:

On the one hand, the memory of an individual often prefers material of one modality (visual, auditory, motor). On the other hand, different people have a different level of organization of the material, although they say that it is better to see once than hear a hundred times, but in relation to memorization this is not always the case.

In the course of life and activity, depending on the characteristics of the nervous system, a person develops individual and typological features of memory.

First, the individual features of memory are associated with personality traits. Even people with a good memory do not remember weight, and people with a bad memory do not forget everything. This is explained by memory is selective. What corresponds to the interests and needs of a person, is remembered quickly and firmly. Secondly, individual differences are found in the qualities of memory. It is possible to characterize a person's memory depending on how developed his individual memory processes are. We say that a person good memory if it's different:

memory speed,

retention strength,

fidelity

the so-called readiness of memory.

But memory can be good in one respect and bad in another. Separate qualities of memory can be combined in different ways.

The best combination is quick memorization with slow forgetting.

Slow memorization is combined with slow forgetting.

Fast memorization is combined with fast forgetting.

The lowest productivity is characterized by memory, characterized by slow memorization and quick forgetting.

Typological features of memory

The predominant formation of one of the types of memory is associated with the characteristics of the personality, with the characteristics of human activity. So, artists have a well-developed emotional memory, composers - auditory, artists - visual memory, philosophers - verbal-logical. The predominant development of figurative or verbal memory is in connection with the ratio of the first and second signal systems, with the typological features of higher nervous activity. The artistic type is distinguished by the predominant development of figurative memory, the mental type by the predominance of verbal memory. The development of memory also depends on the professional activity of a person, since in activity the psyche is not only manifested, but also formed: a composer or pianist best remembers melodies, an artist remembers the color of objects, a mathematician - types of tasks, an athlete - movements.

The type of memory determines how a person remembers material - visually, by ear or using movement. Some people, in order to remember, need visual perception of what they remember. These are the people of the so-called visual type memory. Others need auditory imagery to remember. This category of people has auditory memory . In addition, there are people who, in order to remember, need movements and especially speech movements. These are people who have motor type of memory (in particular, speech-motor).

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that types of memory should be distinguished from types of memory. The types of memory are determined by what we remember. And since any person remembers everything: movements, images, feelings, and thoughts, different types of memory are inherent in all people and do not constitute their individual characteristics. At the same time, the type of memory characterizes how we remember: visually, auditory or motor. Therefore, the type of memory is an individual feature of a given person. All people have all kinds of memory, but each person has a certain type of memory.

Belonging to one type or another is largely determined by the practice of memorization, that is, by what exactly a given person has to remember and how he learns to remember. Therefore, a certain type of memory can be developed through appropriate exercises.

By itself, the development of memory does not occur. This requires a whole system of education of memory. The upbringing of the positive properties of memory is greatly facilitated by the rationalization of a person’s mental and practical work: order in the workplace, planning, self-control, the use of reasonable methods of memorization, the combination of mental work with practical, a critical attitude to one’s activity, the ability to abandon inefficient work methods and borrow from other people effective techniques. Some individual differences in memory are closely related to special mechanisms that protect the brain from unnecessary information. The degree of activity of these mechanisms varies from person to person. The protection of the brain from unnecessary information explains, in particular, the phenomenon of hypnopedia, i.e. learning in a dream. In the state of sleep, some of the mechanisms that protect the brain from redundant information are turned off, so memorization occurs faster.

Memory

Plan

1. The concept of "memory", the physiological foundations of memory.

2. Types of memory.

3. Memory processes.

4. Individual features of memory.

What we feel and perceive does not disappear without a trace, everything is remembered to one degree or another. Excitations going to the brain from external and internal stimuli leave “traces” in it that can persist for many years. These "traces" (combinations nerve cells) create the possibility of excitation even when the stimulus that caused it is absent. Based on this, a person can remember and save, and subsequently reproduce his feelings, perceptions of any objects, thought, speech, actions.

Just like sensation and perception, memory is a process of reflection, and not only that which acts directly on the senses is reflected, but also that which took place in the past.

Memory- this is the memorization, preservation and subsequent reproduction of what we previously perceived, experienced or did. In other words, memory is a reflection of a person's experience by remembering, preserving and reproducing it.

Memory is an amazing property of human consciousness, it is the renewal in our minds of the past, images of what once impressed us.

No other mental function can be carried out without the participation of memory. And memory itself is unthinkable outside of others mental processes. THEM. Sechenov noted that without memory, our sensations and perceptions, "disappearing without a trace as they arise, would leave a person forever in the position of a newborn."

Remembering any images, thoughts, words, feelings, movements, we always remember them in a certain connection with each other. Association is a relationship between separate views in which one of these views calls another.

Objects or phenomena connected in reality are connected in the memory of a person. To remember something means to connect what is remembered with something, to weave what needs to be remembered into a network of already existing connections, to form associations. There are a few types of associations:

- by adjacency: the perception or thought of one object or phenomenon entails the recall of other objects and phenomena adjacent to the first in space or time (this is how a sequence of actions is remembered, for example);

- similarity: images of objects, phenomena or thoughts about them evoke a memory of something similar to them. These associations underlie poetic metaphors, for example, the sound of the waves is likened to the speech of people;

- by contrast: sharply different phenomena are associated - noise and silence, high and low, good and evil, white and black, etc.

Various associations are involved in the process of memorization and reproduction. For example, we recall the surname of a familiar person, a) passing near the house in which he lives, b) meeting someone who looks like him, c) naming another surname that comes from a word that is opposite in meaning to that from which the surname of a friend comes, for example, Belov - Chernov.

In the process of memorization and reproduction exclusively important role semantic connections play: cause - effect, whole - its part, general - particular.

Memory connects a person's past with his present, ensures the unity of the individual. A person needs to know a lot and remember a lot, more and more every year of life. Books, records, tape recorders, cards in libraries, computers help a person to remember, but the main thing is his own memory.

Memory is based on the property of nervous tissue to change under the influence of stimuli, to retain traces of nervous excitation. Of course, traces of previous influences cannot be understood as some kind of imprints, like human footprints on wet sand. In this case, traces are understood as certain electrochemical and biochemical changes in neurons (the strength of traces depends on what changes, electrochemical or biochemical, have taken place). These traces can, under certain conditions, come to life (or, as they say, become actualized), i.e., a process of excitation occurs in them in the absence of the stimulus that caused the indicated changes.

Mechanisms of memory can be considered at different levels, from different points of view. Based on psychological concept associations, then the physiological mechanism of their formation is temporary neural connections. The formation and preservation of temporary connections, their extinction and revival are physiological basis associations.

Currently, there is no unified theory of memory mechanisms.

More convincing neural Theory, which comes from the idea that neurons form circuits through which biocurrents circulate. Under the influence of biocurrents, a change occurs in synapses (junctions of nerve cells), which facilitates the subsequent passage of biocurrents along these pathways. The different nature of neuron circuits corresponds to one or another fixed information.

Another theory molecular theory of memory, believes that under the influence of biocurrents, special protein molecules are formed in the protoplasm of neurons, on which information entering the brain is “recorded” (approximately in the same way as words and music are recorded on a tape recorder). Scientists are even trying to extract what they call "memory molecules" from the brain of a deceased animal. And then there are absolutely fantastic assumptions that someday “memory molecules” can be extracted from the brain of a deceased person (or even synthesized in laboratories), “memory pills” or a special liquid for injections can be made and thus knowledge can be transplanted into the head another man. Such fabrications, of course, can only compromise the molecular theory of memory.

Types of memory.

The manifestations of memory are very diverse, since it is associated with various areas human life, with its features.

All types of memory can be divided into three groups:

1) What a person remembers (objects and phenomena, thoughts, movements, feelings). Accordingly, they distinguish motor, emotional, verbal-logical And figurative memory;

2) How a person remembers (accidentally or intentionally). Here allocate arbitrary And involuntary memory;

3) how long memorized is preserved.

This short term, long term And operational memory.

Motor (or motor) memory allows you to remember the skills, abilities, various movements and actions. If this type of memory did not exist, then every time a person would have to re-learn how to walk, write, and perform various activities.

emotional memory helps to remember the feelings, emotions, experiences that we experienced in certain situations. Emotional memory is of great importance in the formation of a person's personality, being the most important condition for his spiritual development.

semantic, or verbal-logical memory expressed in the memorization, preservation and reproduction of thoughts, concepts, reflections, verbal formulations. The form of thought reproduction depends on the level of speech development of a person. The less developed speech, the more difficult it is to express the meaning in your own words.

Image memory. This type of memory is associated with our sense organs, thanks to which a person perceives the world around him. According to our senses, there are 5 types of figurative memory: auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile. These types of figurative memory are developed unevenly in a person, one of them is always predominant.

Arbitrary memory presupposes the presence of a special goal to remember, which a person sets and applies appropriate techniques for this, makes strong-willed efforts.

involuntary memory does not imply a special goal to remember or recall this or that material, event, phenomenon, they are remembered as if by themselves, without the use of special techniques, without volitional efforts. Involuntary memory is an inexhaustible source of knowledge. In the development of memory, involuntary memorization precedes voluntary. It is very important to understand that a person involuntarily remembers not everything, but what is connected with his personality and activities. First of all, we involuntarily remember what we like, what we accidentally paid attention to, what we actively and enthusiastically work on. Therefore, involuntary memory also has an active character. Animals already have involuntary memory. However, “the animal remembers, but the animal does not remember. In man, we clearly distinguish both these phenomena of memory” (K. Ushinsky). The best way remember and keep in memory for a long time - apply knowledge in practice. In addition, memory does not want to keep in mind that which is contrary to the attitudes of the individual.

Short-term and long-term memory. These two types of memory differ in the duration of the preservation of what a person remembers. Short-term memory has a relatively short duration - a few seconds or minutes. It is sufficient for the exact reproduction of the events that have just occurred, the objects and phenomena that have just been perceived. After a short time, the impressions disappear, and the person usually finds himself unable to remember anything from what he has perceived. Long-term memory provides long-term storage of material. What is important here is the setting to remember for a long time, the need for this information for the future, their personal significance for a person.

Allocate more operational memory, which is understood as the storage of some information for the time necessary to perform an operation, a separate act of activity. For example, in the process of solving any problem, it is necessary to keep in memory the initial data and intermediate operations, which can be forgotten in the future, until the result is obtained.

memory processes.

Memory is a complex mental activity. It contains separate processes. The main ones are - memorization, preservation (and forgetting, respectively) reproduction And recognition.

Memorization. The activity of memory begins with memorization, that is, with the consolidation of those images and impressions that arise in the mind under the influence of objects and phenomena of reality in the process of sensation and perception. From the point of view of physiology, memorization is the process of formation and fixation in the brain of traces of excitation.

Achievements in the educational activity of the student largely depend on the success of memorizing the educational material. Memorization can be involuntary when it is done without a predetermined goal to remember, it proceeds without volitional efforts, as if by itself. Of course, not everything that a person needs to remember is remembered by him involuntarily. More often, a person sets himself a special goal - to remember, makes certain efforts for this, Special techniques.

Learning activities schoolchildren - the assimilation of knowledge, the acquisition of skills and abilities - relies mainly on arbitrary memorization. Systematic, systematic, specially organized memorization using certain techniques is called memorization.

Saving and forgetting. Preservation is the retention of what has been learned in memory, that is, the preservation of traces and connections in the brain. Forgetting - disappearance, loss from memory, i.e., the process of fading, elimination, "erasing" traces, inhibition of connections. These two processes, which are opposite in nature, in fact represent different characteristics of one process: we speak of the preservation of material in memory when there is no forgetting it, and forgetting is a poor preservation of memory material. Therefore, preservation is nothing more than a struggle against forgetting.

Generally speaking, forgetting is a very expedient, natural and required process and should not always be evaluated negatively. If we did not have the ability to forget, our memory would be filled with a mass of small and unnecessary information, facts, details, details. Our brain would be overloaded with information. And forgetting allows the brain to get rid of redundant information. Many people with a phenomenal (outstanding) memory complain that their brain is literally "clogged" with a lot of unnecessary facts and this often prevents them from remembering the necessary and necessary information.

recognition and reproduction. The results of memorization and preservation are manifested in recognition and reproduction. What is the difference between these processes from each other?

You are undoubtedly familiar with such facts when you want and cannot remember the melody you once heard, the name of the person, the content of the story you read, the material subject. If you can't remember, then you forgot? But when you hear that melody or the name of a person again, you read a story or a section of a textbook, and you get a kind of familiarity, that is, you realize that you have already perceived all this before. This means that it was not completely forgotten, otherwise the feeling of familiarity would not have appeared.

So, reproduction is the process of the appearance in the mind of memory representations, previously perceived thoughts, the implementation of learned movements, which is based on the revival of traces, the appearance of excitement in them. Recognition - the appearance of a feeling of familiarity during repeated perception (due to the presence of a weak, minimal trace that remained in the cerebral cortex after the previous perception).

Reproduction, in contrast to recognition, is characterized by the fact that the images fixed in the memory are actualized (revived) without relying on the secondary perception of certain objects. Physiologically, this means the presence of various traces - persistent, strong (reproduction) or weak, unstable and fragile (recognition).

Recall is the most active reproduction, associated with tension and requiring certain volitional efforts. The process of recall proceeds successfully when the forgotten fact is not reproduced in isolation, but in connection with other facts, events, circumstances and actions preserved in memory. When a student recalls one or another forgotten by him historical fact, he reproduces it more easily in connection with other facts and events. The success of recall thus depends on the understanding of the logical connection of the forgotten material with the rest of the material preserved in the memory. It is also important to try to evoke a chain of associations that indirectly help to recall the necessary. Remembering where he forgot the book, the boy tries to remember everything that happened to him during the day, where he was for the last time, when the book was in his hands, with whom he was talking, what he was thinking about. Remembering all these circumstances, the boy actively reproduces those associations that recreate the sequence of events and facilitate the recollection of the forgotten.

Individual features of memory.

In life, one can observe significant individual differences in the field of memory. The fixed individual features of memory characterize the personality, become its properties, as they leave a peculiar imprint on the activity and behavior of the personality.