Memory plays a crucial role in our daily lives, influencing our ability to learn and interact with the world. Here’s an overview of the different types of memory and how we use them.
Long-term memory
- Explicit memory: This concerns memories that we are aware of and can verbalize. It is divided into two categories:
- Episodic memory: This encompasses memories of events in our lives, such as what we experienced at a wedding. These memories are often associated with emotions and form our identity (autobiographical memory).
- Semantic memory: This is our general knowledge of the world, like what we know about the characteristics of a cat.
- Implicit memory: Unlike explicit memory, this concerns automatisms and memories that we cannot fully explain verbally.
- Procedural memory: This enables us to automate sequences of movements, such as riding a bike or driving. These skills become reflexes with practice.
- Perceptual memory: retains memories linked to sensory stimuli, associating sensations and emotions. For example, it helps us recall the taste of a fruit based on past experiences.
Short-term memory
Short-term memory, or working memory, enables us to retain information for a short time, usually a few seconds. For example, remembering a phone number just long enough to write it down. This memory is limited in capacity and requires considerable concentration. According to Miller’s Law, we can generally retain around 7 items at a time, although this idea is sometimes challenged (Farrington, 2011).
How can you improve your memory and learn faster?
Scientific research provides us with practical advice on how to optimize our memory. Here are a few strategies:
- Be focused: The first step to good memorization is to be attentive when learning. Concentration is the key to encoding information. It’s easier to remember information when you’ve slept well and there are no distractions.
- Regular repetition: To strengthen memory, it’s crucial to review information on a regular basis, first closely and then at more distant intervals. The Ebbinghaus curve reminds us that without this repetition, we lose up to 90% of information.
- Creating Associations: Linking several pieces of information can facilitate memorization. The more striking or original the associations, the more effectively they will be remembered. For example, to remember the numbers 18 and 33, you might think of the fire department (tel. no. 18) operating in Gironde (department 33).
It’s important to note that ideas that some people learn better through specific sensory modalities (visual or auditory) have no scientific basis. These preferences are individual and do not affect the quantity or quality of the information retained.
Conclusion
Understanding the different types of memory can enrich our approach to massage therapy, for practitioners and clients alike. By integrating memory techniques and using our knowledge of how memory works, we can enhance our practice and offer even more effective support to those seeking to improve their well-being.
To remember:
- Memory is structured into different parts: verbal and non-verbal long-term memory, short-term memory.
- We can actively improve our memory by paying close attention, repeating information regularly and creating associations between the information we need to remember.
- Information is certainly linked to our senses, but there’s no proof that everyone has a more efficient sensory modality than others. Thus, “visual” or “auditory” memories for learning have no basis in fact.
Source :
Farrington, J. (2011). Seven plus or minus two. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23(4), 113-116. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.20099
