What Is Memory?

[Racoon]

I did a search on this an didn't really find anything, yet...

 

Memory has always fascinated me, And I am wondering why/how I/we can remember certain things and forget others :hihi:

I've had some Psychology, and some "beginning concepts" of memory.

It can be compared to a file cabinet, and file retrieval...

 

It seems so very interesting.:pirate:

Can anyone expound or ellaborate?

 

Heres an excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Natural History of Intellect":

 

"Memory is a primary and fundamental faculty, without no other can work; the cement, the bitumen, the matrix in which all other faculties are embedded; or it is the thread on which beads are strung, making the personal identity which is necessary for moral action..."

 

"Without it all life and thought were an unrelated succesion. As gravity holds matter from flying into space, so memory gives stability to knowledge; it is the cohesion which keeps things from falling into a lump, or flowing in waves..."

 

Memory is Fascinating.

Can anyone Remember anything on memory??

[InfiniteNow]

Memory is a strange duck, and you will get different answers depending on who you ask.

 

Lots of interesting work done in the late 1800s, I think by a guy named Watson, but am not sure.

 

It has huge implications for consciousness, as well as time. Generally considered to be focussed in the inner (or "reptilian") brain regions like the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hypocampus. After that, I try to remain open as to what it is.

 

Cheers. :cup:

[ingannilo]

I had an answer on the tip of my tongue... but I cannot remember it! :cup:

[Torson]

Memory as we experience it is a complex issue to explain because it involves many “operations” of different parts of our brain.

At this time, let’s skip the process of how we store information from all our sensors.

All information is stored at a molecular lattice level in the form of vibration or tone. These vibrations are so high in frequency (above gamma and cosmic) and low in amplitude as single frequencies that we cannot affect them from the outside with any known instrument.

EVERYTHING your sensors register from the day your brain cells are developed and until they die is stored in your brain as frequencies. These frequencies forms harmonies together and modulates each other to form pictures, sounds smells etc. etc. that we recognize. The storage is the easy part, the complexity comes with the neural system to control this information. The neural system is the learning part, and in the very early part of your life, very robust “channels” are developed to retrieve information. As you are growing the complexity of the neural system starts to grow because your “control center” looks at vast “harmonies” to retrieve the wanted information and to coordinate the information. When you get old the brain still stores the information but it has problems to retrieve it due to the complexity. This is why you often see older people make use of the very early, robust “channels” and remembers things easier from their childhood than yesterday, the storaged information is there. As I said, everything your eyes, ears etc. etc. experiences is stored and does not disappear. As a thought, if you after many, many years visit a place where you have been, you recognize it, but if someone told you to describe it before you returned to it, you would have difficulties. The same goes for smells, sounds and other impressions. The storage capacity of our brain is “unlimited” but the limitation is in the retrieving part.

[InfiniteNow]

Torson brought into the question a key distinction. Memory research tends to focus on two areas... storage and retrieval. We also have muscle memory, which implies that the robust channels tend to be those which are used more, thus generating more synaptic connection through dentrites. The analogy I like is erosion. If water continually flows through the same channel, the channel will get deeper and wider. Nerve fibers are the same... the more you use it, the deeper the channel.

 

Retrieval is tougher because then the language centers become more involved, as well as higher prefrontal executive function.

[Racoon]

Can anyone expound further on memory? so far so good...:eek2:

 

Heres some more Ralph W. Emerson, Natural History of Intellect:

 

"We can tell much about it, but you must not ask what it is. On seeing a face I am aware that I have seen it before, or that I have not seen it before. On hearing a fact told I am aware that I knew it already...

 

You say the first words of the old song, and I finish the line and stanza. But where I have them, or what becomes of them for months and years, that they should lie so still, as if they did not exist, and yet so nigh that they come the instant when they are called for, never any man was so sharp sighted, or could turn himself inside out quick enough to find..."

 

:eek2: :eek_big:

[Racoon]

This memory thing has me really thinkin' & wonderin'?

It seems so weird and fascinating and complex! :lol:

 

I stated some good ol' Ralph Emerson, and am now looking into the Biology of it...

Some of you guys already know some of this, but it helps me form a more complete idea by typing it out as well,so thanks for bearing with me and adding more to it :)

...

Theres "short-term" and "long-term" ST & LT

 

ST storage is a stage of neural excitation that lasts a few seconds to a few hours (like studying right before a test :xx:) and is limited to bits of sensory info - like numbers, words of a sentence.

LT storage can store away seemingly unlimited amounts of info, and can be tucked away more or less permanently...

 

Seems from all the sensory input bombarding the cerebral cortex, only some is selected for transfer to brain structures involved in ST memory.

These can be compared to "Holding Bins" and are processed for "relevance"...

 

Also seems that the Human brain processes Facts seperately from Skills.

Dates, names, faces, words, and odors and other bits are considered facts and are quickly forgotten OR 'filed' away in LT storage, along with the circumstance.

So thats why you might associate the Smell of baking bread to Grandma's kitchen!

 

And in contrast, skills are gained by practicing specific motor activities, like playing a piano or snowboarding...

 

States of conciousness also have influence on memories, which has been a reason for my recent interest. Seems I remember somethings more vividly when I'm in a state somewhere between sleep and awake (lucid day-dreaming I would try and describe it as)

 

Memory is so Interesting!!

I guess you could use the Analogy of a Computer for the brain in many regards. (like you could a car for the Body)

 

More definitely later,

and thank you for additional input :)

[Racoon]

Why can't we remember our earliest years?

Does/can hypnotism really work in recall of events if you cannot remember consciencely?

How do certain substances affect memory? like Ginkgo...

(I also heard egg whites are good to eat before a test to improve memory)

 

I can state the Biology of memory now:

Inputs at sensory cortex --->>> flows to the Amygdala and Hippocampus in the limbic system. The Amyygdala acts as a gate keeper connecting the sensory cortex w/ parts of the Thalamus and Hippocampus that govern emotional states. this info --->>> flows to prefrontal cortex, where multiple banks of facts and memories are retrieved and used to stimulate or inhibit other parts of the brain. The new imput also flows to basal nuclei, which sends it back to the cortex in a feedback loop that reinforces the input until it can be consolidated in Long-Term storage...:) :lol:

 

Thats kinda' boring...

 

What about accuracy of memories? I know when I get together with old friends and we talk about Good Times, its amazing how I will remember something and in a certain way --- while my friend(s) will remember something else and in a different way... even though the Sensory Stimulus was the same? :xx:

 

I know Memory is HUGE in the courtroom! :) And is why it is so important that eyewitnesses be accurate in their recall! and how often times it is Not! :eek:

 

Memory!

as Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, (w/ regards to herbs:) )

"That's Rosemary, thats for rememberance;

I pray you, love, remember."

[InfiniteNow]

What about accuracy of memories? I know when I get together with old friends and we talk about Good Times, its amazing how I will remember something and in a certain way --- while my friend(s) will remember something else and in a different way... even though the Sensory Stimulus was the same? :rainbow:

Wiki is your friend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_memory

[Torson]

Racoon,

 

When we are talking about memory in general we have to distinguish clearly between the stored information (memory I) and our ability to retrieve information to our conscious (memory II). Memory I is “raw data” continuously recorded by our sensory systems (eyes, ears, smell etc. etc.) and stored permanently by activating molecular lattices to certain tones or vibrations with very high frequency. For visual sensors it stores pattern and colors as different frequencies. Example, your eyes sees whether you think about what you see or not and the pictures are stored. The capacity of the brain is large enough to store your whole life. Memory II which is the “playback”, organized by our conscious, of the stored information is far, far more complex. The vibrations are activating the “neural system” initiating electric/chemical communication, mostly on command/request from our conscious centers.

 

As we grow we make “roads” to the information we want, and develop a “roadmap” in our conscious so we know where and what information we want. This is a very crude explanation because the ”roadmap” gets very complex as we grow and we learn to combine information from different “data banks” and form our intelligence.

 

The “”raw data” however is continuously and chronologically stored, therefore we know when data is old or new.

 

Back to your questions: As you notice from this there is not something called short term or long term memory in memory I, its all very long term. Memory II, our conscious we can talk about long and short term memory and this depends on how well you build our roads and how good your roadmap is. In your younger years the roads are well built and clear, but as you grow older the roadmap gets more and more dense and confusing so you have difficulties to fit new roads on your map, hence difficulties in finding the “raw data”.

 

Why we cannot remember anything from our earliest years? And I assume you mean age 0-3 years. Our conscious was not generally developed enough to store roadmaps that we can retrieve the information and without this we do not know how to put the “raw data” together to clear “pictures”.

 

Hypnosis is an elevated form of concentration and you might block out enough “disturbing” “roads” to retrieve specific information.

 

Substances: Yes, substances may enhance some of the chemical processes in the neural system, but there is a fine line between enhancing and over-enhancing, but it is very marginal what you get out of it. Dampening processes with substances is commonly used drugs.

 

Accuracy of memory: That’s a good question. Memory I is accurate to the degree your sensors pick it up. Memory II is indeed dependent the vast combinations you have developed. Two persons will not have the exact same memory II of a picture except maybe for simple things like black and white.

[Racoon]

Thank you Torson for that input.

I will try and remember it :rain:

 

There are complicated feedback loops within the Human mind that make it such a fascinating Organ indeed!

 

Animals clearly exhibit Memory as well. although not to the scale humans do...

 

I am also looking into Brain-Wave patterns and how they can affect memory storage and retrieval!

 

Another reason why I am so curious, even after a some study, is because my Grandmother is experiencing Memory problems. She has near zero short term -but can recollect minor events 50 years ago!- a little frustrating, but significant as well.

 

I find it absolutely amazing! :girl_hug:

[dometheo]

Memmory...complicated to anwser...yet, simple to feel, no?...er...waht are er speaking again?...OH! Memmory! right.....sigh....sorry..er...er....well,

In my awhereness, and so life expereince, i can say that memmory is more than simply remenbering the name of an old city, or the the many computations of mathematics, or many other things. First and foremost, it is a sort of, "muscle". Pratice and train it, and shall increase your memmory. For that you only need to pratice. How? Many ways have been develeped. One that is think helps alot, is mathes. This type of thought processing can and does augment ones memmory.

Another ay, is to pratice a pratice that is vey interesting. ITs called RECAPITUALTION.

It is an old art. And far more powerfull than it seems. TO recapitualte is more thansimply calling forht memmories. After some time of pratice, one has the ability to actually, lets us relive the event. THis is sused, among many other things, for people that have traumas and have blocked themsleves or not out of such trauma. Because, what one recaps, is the feeling.

NOw i suppose that you can also use this for memmory dexterty:):confused:

[InfiniteNow]

Animals clearly exhibit Memory as well. although not to the scale humans do...

I don't want to treat you differently than I would others, so...

 

 

What is your basis for this statement? Can you offer some sort of evidence that animals exhibit memory, or that the scale on which they do so is different somehow from the human animal? If it's just opinion, or an idea you've put together based on your own experience, that's cool. I guess what struck me was curiosity about why you'd say animals (which animals for example) don't have the memorial capacity of humans.

 

 

Keeping the Racoon on it's toes and thumbs... :confused:

[Racoon]

I don't want to treat you differently than I would others, so...

 

Keeping the Racoon on it's toes and thumbs... :D

 

From experience with my dogs and cats. :cat: :dog:

 

They clearly exhibit a form of memory. I'm sure its part of their Survival mechanisms.

Part of it may be conditioned response as well...but wouldn't that be considered memory as well?

Like if they touch an electric fence - they will "remember" not to touch it again due to pain response... Thus "remembering" to a degree.

 

Nice try IN! ;) :naughty:

 

Would rather focus on us humans however,

And their Dazzling array of mental powers!

 

Good input so far fellas! I'll Remember to post some more later :)

[MagnetMan]

Can anyone expound further on memory? so far so good:

 

Genetic memory is stored in the DNA and distinguishes each specie.

Theoretically, behavioral memory is also stored in the DNA - or we would be engaged in the impossible task of humanizaing a chimpanzee with every new born.

Artificial behavioral skills have been taught to mice. They were killed, their bodies ground up and fed to other mice. The cannibals performed the same skills after eating their relatives.

(Makes one think about them headhunters eating your liver huh!!)

Without memory storage and retrieval life would not only be impossible, it would also be meaningless. The tragedy of alsheimers underlies this most poignantly.

In near death experiences, people have said that their entire life flashes before them.

In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a lama sits beside the dying man and stays talking to him at his graveside for 49 days after he is dead. What is believed by them during death is that your entire live is brought before the psyche for revision and evaluation - all the shames and triumphs. The duty of the lama is to try and convince the dying man that he should not judge himself too harshly when confroted by the pure light (of God). That he himslef is part of that pure light. What is implied here is that it is we ourselves who judge ourselves at death and decide on which hell or heaven we should go to.

[Queso]

That is one of the best posts I've ever seen here on Hypography :confused:

 

We are pure light

[arkain101]

In problom solving situations I sometimes search for the truth basic in the manner.

 

The question is about memory and exactly what it is, and how it works.

 

The Ability ask this question is from having the ability that the question is related to.

 

We have memory and it is what we are, it fills a purpose in a "container" that would empty have nothingto show for itself.

 

So Memory is input placed into some kind of storage. The input is from the matter and energy our reality so far seems to be made of. Our reality is a frequency. Einstien said, nothing happens untill something moves. I am now saying nothing happens untill something moves and stops by passing on what previously caused it to move. We have a reality that Turns on and then off, A time of data, and time of lack there of data. A frequency is exactly that, the happening and the lack there of happening inbetween each event.

 

The collection of these events in a space-time realm appear to pass through a "now" substance that is infinite because it simply acts as the doorway, the consciousness, and the time flows into the container the frequencies in that time flow into the container. Now we have storage. But the container itself when looked at as a neuron, would mean that it (the container) is made of the same frequencies of storage. As if you fill water with water, and try not to have the two mix.

 

Retreival, This is an act of creation. In order to retreive this frequencies of storage, a being, or a door way must allow it to poor out, or create a frequency to interact with the storage frequency. It must be creation or the only other logical reasoning would be a order or chaos flucuation of frequencies that function the body as a whole. But we dont think of ourselves as this kind of chaos or ordered automaton. We seem to make choices and have will. A creation with purposeful design must occur for a willed retreival.

 

The loss of memory could be considered as a disfunctioning doorway to the container. Alzheimers for example reduces a persons ability to remember in the now, but there past container of there earlier life oftem remains intact. So we have an issue with the doorway allowing new input into a safety container or a container which is leaking or full. (and not in the literal sense of these terms of course).

 

Fundementally we have a part of us which is the witness, the doorway, the observer, or the mold which molds to the frequencies passing through. The universe is a memory that can be captured, stored and prodded at. The doorway is not a memory/frequency but a center where the frequencies can merge to harmonize on the molding/doorway, causing it to create for itself.

 

The doorway/molding may be able to pass any amount and version of harmony (meaning tune of interacting freqencies) but the passages for these frequencies need to align and grow to increase the efficency of the storage transfering.

 

There is a nueral network that moves about and creates an internal roadmap. A storage of light and sound, will branch out to a street of feeling and emotion that is connected to the frequency that decifers light and sound. When we learn things we arrange the roadmap to, A-make room for traffic flow and B-arrange the pathways and connections with the best efficiency and our neural net creates a better connection. So when you for example learn to drive. You creation is there, you know what you want, but your connections are poor. YOu struggle with decisions and coordination. But as you learn your connection cleans, and before oyu know it, the nerual net has made a very good connection and driving becomes automatic to itself through the neural network, at least for the basic actions required to drive. Professional athletes always say they go out there and end up in a zone where they dont even have to think and what they do seems to just happen, the connections are clean.

 

ANyhow.. that is my flow on the go about memory by basicalizing the knoweldge I have on the subject.