学习与记忆的关系

学习与记忆的关系
 

学会系鞋带和骑自行车要求编码，存储和对过去的观测检索的程序，有了大量的实践，孩子们就会很好地掌握这些技巧，在他们以后的生活中能够永远记住它们。记忆是随着时间的推移存储信息，它是在学习过程中最重要的理念之一，如果不先记住事情，就不会产生学习，在一个过程当中，记忆指的是对过去相关的信息保留和信息检索的“动力机制”（斯坦伯格260）。我们通过对过去的相关记忆来帮助我们了解现在，学习和记忆在心理学上是以不同方式，也有许多不同的方法来研究人类怎样的记忆工作，在心理学上有一些任务用来测量记忆，不同类型的记忆储存处供人们使用，例如感官储存或短期储存，人类也会借助大量的科技来提高他们的记忆力，他们可以用来学习，例如记忆术策略。所有的这些都可以被归类为人类记忆和学习方法研究上重要的问题。
 

The Relationship between Learning and Memory 
 

*Missing Works Cited* 
 

Learning to tie shoes and ride a bike requires the encoding, storing, and retrieving of past observations of the procedure. With a lot of practice, children master these skills so well that they are able to remember them the rest of their lives. Memory is the storing of information over time. It is one of the most important concepts in learning; if things are not remembered, no learning can take place. As a process, memory refers to the "dynamic mechanism associated with the retention and retrieval of information about past experiences" (Sternberg 260). We use our memory about the past to help us understand the present. The study or memory in psychology is used in different ways, as well as there are many different ways to study how memory works in humans. In psychology there are many tasks used to measure memory, and different types of memory storages that human's use, such as sensory storing, or short term storing. There are also a lot of techniques that humans use to improve their memory, which they can use to learn, such as mnemonic devices. All these things can be classified as important issues in the study of human memory and ways of learning. 
 

In studying memory, researchers have devised various tasks that require participants to remember "arbitrary information" (Merkle). Memory tasks typically involve either recall or recognition. In recall memory you would be asked to give a fact, a word, or an item from memory. In recognition memory you are asked to identify from various things the correct word, fact, or item. How then do humans remember these things? It involves the human memory process, containing encoding, storing, and retrieving any information being given to us. #p#分页标题#e#

Encoding is the process of placing information into memory. Storage is the process of retaining information in memory. Getting information out of memory is called retrieval. Out of the three, the most important is Encoding, because you must pay attention to the information that you want to place into your memory. It is the starting point, although there are three levels known within this beginning step. 
 

Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart proposed three levels for encoding incoming information. "They suggested that whether we remember information for a few seconds or a lifetime depends on how deeply we process the information" (Internet). The first level is classified as Structural, because information is stored on visual codes. In other words, what information "looks" like or what is its physical structure. An example of that can be a picture of a friend at Disneyland, can help someone remember his or her experience at Disneyland. The second level is classified as Phonemic, because information "is stored as acoustic codes" (Sternberg 275). This is basically, remembering information based on how it sounds, such as remembering your prom when you hear a song that was played that night. Finally, the last level would be Semantic, because information is stored based on semantic codes (i.e. what it means). This may be the most complicated one, but most information "appears to be stored based on semantic codes" (Conklin). This basically means that things are remembered based on the meaning of the words. For example, a person can remember what the word "nib licks" means by knowing its definition, or the meaning of it in simpler words (i.e. gold iron with heavy head). Which of the three is the best way to remember things then? That would be to use the combination of two of any of the three levels. If you can see an image, and hear a sound that will remind you of it, then you are able to keep it in memory for longer periods of time. Now that we know how to understand what we want to remember, we need to know how we keep it stored in our minds. 
 

Storing information is essential in Learning. To store information that can be used for later use, such as tying ones shoelace, is very important for humans. Information being stored can be stored in three different memory capacities we have: sensory memory, short-term memory, or long-term memory. In sensory memory, the human holds "sensory information for a brief period after the physical stimulus is no longer available" (Internet). An example of this may be looking at slides of pictures. Someone looks at different pictures for a short period of time, and so, the image stays stored in the memory for only a short time. This means that people see more objects than they are able to recall immediately after they see them all. In every day life, we use this when we meet people, and try to remember their names, we hear their name for an instance, and unless we use tactics to move this information to our short-term memory, we will only remember it for an instance. This memory helps very little when trying to learn anything because it will only be stored for a quick instance. On the other had short-term memory stays in a person mind for a couple of seconds, and maybe even minutes, which can be useful to use in the learning process. #p#分页标题#e#
 

Short-term memory is where "conscious thinking and processing of information take place" (Shulman). We move sensory memory information to short memory information, by continuously thinking about a specific thing, or by bringing importance, or meaning to the information. Basically, whatever we are thinking about in a particular instance is in our short-term memory. The key characteristic of short-term memory is that "unless the information is important in meaningful way or is being actively rehearsed or repeated, it quickly leaves short-term memory and is 'forgotten' when new information displaces it as we begin to think about something else" (Sternberg 288), unlike long-term memory. In long term-memory, you can contain substantial amounts of information, for long periods of time, which is the most useful when learning. 
 

To move information from Short-term memory to long term memory humans use special tactics that may seem trivial, but are important in learning. "An important technique for keeping information in short-term memory and increasing the chances of long-term retention is rehearsal, the review or practice of material while you are learning it. When people are prevented from rehearsing, the contents of their short-term memories quickly fade" (Travis 367). If enough rehearsal or practice occurs, information may be transferred form short-term memory into long-term memory. Long-term memory is our "permanent storehouse of information" (Internet). For example, all the knowledge we have accumulated, all the skills we have learned, and all of our memories of past experiences are stored in our long-term memory. Long-term memory helps us learn things by memorizing things we see, hear, or understand using one of the two types of "circuits" in long-term memory: Declarative Memory, or Procedural Memory. 
 

In Declarative memory we learn because it helps in remembering "fact" memories, such as names, dates, and event. This memory is most related to "thinking and problem solving… can be rapidly learned and rapidly forgotten" (Sternberg 288). To use this memory, it involves understanding of concepts, and thinking about the importance of the information. On the other hand, Procedural Memory can be seen as "skill" memory such as remembering how to ride a bicycle, or how to play an instrument. This memory involves, repetition, and rehearsal for learning. Repetition and rehearsal are forms of mnemonics. 
 

Mnemonics are strategies for remembering information. They work because they add meaning and context to hard-to-remember information. There are several different types of mnemonics, but they all help a human learn. There is rehearsal, which is basically repetition or information. It is the most commonly used in schools from students. Elaboration is another, where you find connections between old information you know, with the new information you already are familiar with. An example of this might be that the new information you learn on "Learning methods" can be connected with your past knowledge on "memory." Method of loci is used to remember a list of items. You think of a familiar thing and make a connection with the list you want to remember. An example can be you see a hot dog in your car, to remember "hot dog." There are a lot more mnemonics that humans use to store information in their minds, now hoe do we retrieve this information when it is necessary to do so? This is the last process. #p#分页标题#e#
 

In retrieving, we either recall, or recognize information we need. In recall, we state the fact, or the idea being sought, based on what we can remember. And in recognition, we identify from a group of things what it is we are seeking. Example of this can be multiple choice questions, where we recognize which is the correct answer. An example of recall is short answer questions, or remembering a phone number. If our minds are capable of encoding, storing, and retrieving so much information, why is it that a lot of the times we cannot remember things? 

There are many theories that answer this question, and all have different views, but one of the most common is the "Decay Theory" which basically says that as time passes, the information is not being used, and it fades away. There are other theories that involve either retrieval problems or encoding problems, which are related to Learning disorders that people suffer from in their life, although they can adapt to other methods for memorizing information. 
 

Memorization, and learning are linked together, because we learn to do things based on encoding, storing, and retrieving information that we have seen, heard, or understood in our life, which involves using Human Memory. Although Human Memory has many different aspects that affect the way we remember, or the way we memorize things, it is the essential device that we need to learn not only essential things for living, like walking, or talking, but also school related things, such as facts.