Retention and Chunking free essay sample

Memory is one of the important roles of the mind. However, it is often disregarded, unless needed. People typically do not think about memory except when they really need to retrieve or recall important details. People usually think about memory only when it fails them. Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. It is a function that is basic and integral to all cognitive and psychological activities. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.In order to form new memories, information must be changed to usable form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness. We will write a custom essay sample on Retention and Chunking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are many ways of classifying the human mind and its ability to retain information. One of the most often used classifications are based on the duration of memory retention, specifically the sensory, long term memory and short term memory which is our focus in this report. In Freudian psychology, the short term memory (STM) would be referred to as the conscious mind. Paying attention to sensory memories generates the information in STM. Most of the information stored in working memory will be stored for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. While many of our STMs are quickly forgotten, attending to this information allows it to continue on the next stage, long-term memory.However, there are different control processes that can be applied once the information is transferred into the short term memory. Two of these are rehearsal and chunking. Rehearsal is the mental repetition of information to retain longer in STM. This is the way to keep the information in STM refreshed even if it is stored in the STM for a relatively long period of time; that is if one keeps rehearsing the information. On the other hand, chunking is a unit of memory, where overcoming STMs that can be remembered or retained are five-to-nine nformation. A chunk could refer to digits, words, chess positions, or peoples faces. The concept of chunking and the limited capacity of short term memory became a basic element of all subsequent theories of memory. According to Ebbinghaus, short term memory was postulated to explain temporary retention of information as distinct from long term retention of information. Short term memory acts to also store current sensory information and to rehearse new information from sensory buffers and has limited capacity. Loss of information stored in short term memory has the same characteristics as loss of information stored in long term memory. It happens quicker because it involves information that is not learned as well. What we call the learning process is transferring information from short term to long term memory and is a physiological process. Retention is the persistence to perform a learned behavior (facts or experiences) after an interval has elapsed in which there has been no performance or practice of the behavior.Individuals can briefly recall short lists, but as the lists increases in length, participants will need more time to recall the lists. The number that can be recalled before errors begin to occur is called the memory span, and it has been interpreted as the limit on the storage space available in STM (Klatzky, 1975). As more items enter STM, the strength of previous information fades away. In cognitive psychology and mnemonics, chunking refers to a strategy for making more efficient use of STM by recording information.