Memory

Memory is the mental capacity to store and retrieve stored experiences. It is a central part of the human capacity because it is vital to the self-identity of a person. All animals have some kind of memory, but in humans it is unique. Memory is part of the human [Page 1098]capacity to be transcendent in thought. Humans can think of the past, the immediate present and then project thoughts into future possibilities. Memory makes it possible for planning to take place. Without memory organisms can only react to present events in their immediate environment.

Memory is not just storing information for retrieval. It is also an intimate part of the learning process. Learning occurs as learners remember ideas, experiences, or other lessons. These learning experiences are not just stored for retrieval; they also transform the learner into a different person than they would be without the learned experience. For example, learning a foreign language or leaning a skill enlarges the capacity of the person, yet it would be impossible to accomplish these tasks without memory.

The brain is the center of memories. It however, receives information about experiences in a somewhat random manner. The data of life comes as a stream of information that is not very useful unless it is organized into memories. These are patters of information that are sorted by the brain into retrieval locations in the brain. Every person has his or her own way of sorting experiences into memories. The more organized the sorting is into patterns the more effectively the person will be able to recall the information upon demand.

Physical learning is accomplished by the body. It can be trained to repeat an almost endless number of physical actions that can be put to use in play or work. Athletes, soldier, actors, and others engage in repetition of physical actions in order to train the body for the performance of certain tasks. Golfers call the time on the practice tee “grooving their swing.” The expression “practice makes perfect” really means that the brain remembers what the body has done repeatedly even if the physical actions has not been engaged in for some time.

Mental memories are those connected with learning ideas or abstract concepts. Counting is a mental activity that is refined into a considerable skill. Concrete experiences of things such as a sheep can be counted when seen as a collection called a flock or a very large flock in Australia called a mob of sheep. The counting is of specific physical things; however, abstraction, which involves grouping things into physical categories (sheep) of abstract categories (flocks, sheep industry) used memories of ideas of perception to create ideas of abstraction. The mind can draw up and reassemble memories in dramatic ways.

It is possible to combine both mental and physical memories and then to employ them in some task. For example an orator may memorize a speech, a singer the lyrics of a song, or an actor memorize their lines. These may not only require physical expression, but emotional expression as well. Additionally, the brain can remember emotions.

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