What is the nature of memory?

Answer 1

Hi. The best explanation I ever read was "The Holographic Mind" which proposed a chemical hologram as the storage mechanism. Experiments on rats showed that, once trained to run a maze, large sections of brain could be removed and the rats could still "remember". It also explained why a memory or a scent could elicit such strong recall, since they were stored in such a way that stimulating one also stimulated others. Fascinating, no?

Answer 2

When we hear or see something, etc. it makes an impression within our brain matter. After all, the sounds and sights mean nothing unless we can interpret them. Babies must even learn to see and can not distinguish between squares and circles at first glance ever. Those born blind do not "learn" sight and use the assigned areas of the brain to enhance other abilities. Memory is replication of the original impressions even if not perfect. Under hypnosis some subjects have near perfect recall and can perhaps recall license plates from an accident scene. The impressions in our brain matter are electronic in nature depending on electrons and chemical changes such as bonds in nerve paths (synapses) that strengthen with repeated use. Because electrons will not stand still and are constantly being exchanged, memories must be re-created every second of our lives with fresh electrons until we need to recall them! We have both short term and long term memories. Short term memories are like facts on the kitchen table to be stored or quickly cleared away. Long term memories are more like the rest of the house where items are stored in various (logical?) locations; music in one area people's names in another, etc. Many memories are stored directly (like the melody of a song) and others that may be harder to remember (like the words to the song) are stored only after interpreted using the language we learned. Try to remember the words to a new song in a foreign language you do not understand, right? Repeating something in short-term memory (name of someone you just met?) will help move it to long term memory. Novelties (pink elephant walking by) are easier to rember than the routine (neighbor's dog crossing the lawn). Most people can't accurately discribe the details of the dial on their watch without looking at it.

Answer 3

i think you'll find the best way to describe the nature of memory is as an analogue IE a database retrieval system, however there are three types of memory in everyone, these are short term, tertiary and cyclic memory, when memory failure occurs for instance in Alzheimer's, the short term and cyclic memories are affected, but tertiary memory is not so affected, thereby enabling the sufferer to remember childhood occasions clearly, but not perhaps having a cup of tea 5 minutes previously, obviously short term memory can be affected by trauma to the head causing temporary amnesia this can also affect cyclic (long term) memory, causing the sufferer to forget for example that he is married, sometimes wiping out years of their lives, this can be temporary also, but sometimes is never recovered and people have had to start their lives anew trusting their spouse and or relatives to fill them in on all the memories they are missing.

Answer 4

Isn't the nature of memory remembrance.
The storehouse of the past as experiences.
Does this movement of the past to the present create the feeling of time in us.
Memory also grasps our attention and leads the mind away from the living now, Psychologically speaking!

Fact based memory enables us to learn.

Answer 5

What do you mean?
I know memories are formed by repeated use of the same pathways in the brain (repeated synapses) much like if you walked across a grassy field there would eventually be a trail that was easy to follow.
So the more you practice something mentally, the more likely you are to remember it.

Answer 6

if u'd be more specific it'd help.
from a psychology point of view memory is mainly splity into long term and short term. most everyday stuff falls under short term and long term is the stuff you can remember since you were little.
more scientifically memory is lots of little electrical connections and cells in the brain, but obviously much more complex than my brief synopsis.

Answer 7

Transient.

Answer 8

uhhhh
oops sorry. I forgot

Answer 9

We need it, else we wouldnt live long.