Page 81 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook

How do we get information out of memory?

“To remember an event requires more than getting it
in (encoding) and retaining it (storage). To most people,
memory is recall, the ability to retrieve information not
in conscious awareness. To a psychologist, memory is
any sign that something learned has been retained. So
recognizing or more quickly relearning information also
indicates memory.” 126

“Our recognition memory is impressively quick and
vast. Our speed at relearning also reveals memory. You
once learned something and then forgot it, you
probably will relearn it more quickly your second time
around. When you study for a final exam or resurrect a
language used early in childhood, the relearning is
easier. Tests of recognition and relearning confirm the
point: We remember more than we can recall.”
127 (photo: manwithoutqualities.com)

“The process of retrieving a memory follows a similar principle, because memories are held in storage by
a web of associations, each piece of information interconnected with others. When you encode into
memory a target piece of information, such as the name of the person sitting next to you in class, you
associate with it other bits of information about your surroundings, mood, seating position and so on.
These bits can serve as retrieval cues, anchor points you can use to access the target information when
you want to retrieve it later. The more retrieval cues you have, the better your chances of finding a
route to the suspended memory. Priming is the activation, often unconsciously, of particular
associations in memory.” 128

“One final type of memory we need to cover is intrusive memories. According to researcher Daniel
Schacter, these are unwanted memories that can feel persistent. They might be memories of something
traumatic, like abuse or rape. It may be a memory of a difficult situation that occurred during childhood
like being in a car accident or seeing someone get hurt. These memories are difficult to get rid of
because they were such powerful memories that involved our senses and emotions. When you read the
chapter on trauma, we will discuss how to help others who struggle with traumatic memories.” 129

126 Myers, p. 189, 2012.
127 Ibid.
128 Ibid.
129 Ibid.

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