Many of us claim to have problems remembering things we want to remember, for example, people’s names. Failure to remember one’s names despite having meeting him or her in the past is embarrassing and something we would like to avoid. Why do we experience this? What could be the reasons and what can be done to overcome this problem?
Let’s understand the way our memory work. According to Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), our memory consists of three structures or systems. They are sensory register store, short term memory store, and long-term memory store. These memory systems differ in terms of their duration and capacity to store information. For example, sensory register store can hold so much information from the environment, but the information can only stay there for a brief period of time. The short-term store is limited in its capacity to hold information. Its duration is also limited, in that it can only store information for about 30 seconds. The long-term memory store is said to be unlimited in its capacity to store information, and information can also stay there for a long period of time.
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) also proposed that information from the environment flow from one memory store to the other depending on how well one is making use of the control processes associated with these memory stores. For instance, information from the environment will initially be in the sensory register store. Paying more attention will bring the information to the short-term store and if one processes the information further, the information will be transferred to the long-term store. Thus, the ability to pay attention to some information is the prerequisite for the information to be stored in a more stable memory stores. Information that is not attended to may be lost from the memory system.
What do we actually do when we are paying attention? Attention refers to a process of mental concentration on specific features of the environment (Goldstein, 2011). We can consciously attend to information, but some information can also grab our attention. For example, we tend to pay attention to stimuli that is more intense compared to others (for example bright colors or loud noise), stimuli that are novel or unusual in some way, or stimuli with strong emotional associations. Most of the time our attention is directed to something which has personal significance. Thus, paying attention does not only involve moving your eyes from one place to another. More importantly, some mental effort is needed to focus and concentrate on those environmental events. Therefore, one reason people do not remember something they have seen or heard (for example people’s name), is that they never really paid attention to it. They claim that they pay attention, but in reality, they do not.
So how can we know whether we really pay attention to something? Ask yourself these questions: when you’re meeting the person, are you aware of that present moment?, do you consciously noticing, listening to, smelling, touching and tasting the experience that you have with him or her? If you are aware of the moment, focus and concentrate, you are actually paying attention to the person. As a result, the information about the person, including his or her name is more likely to be stored in either your short-term or long-term memory stores. If you further associate the name with your existing mental schema (for example, associating the name with your favourite movie character) you can ensure that the name is stored in your long-term store. The name of the person is now stored and available in your long-term memory store, and with the help of appropriate retrieval cues you may no longer face problem to remember the person’s name. In relation to this, let us model one praiseworthy character of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The prophet, whenever he talks to someone, he always attends and concentrates on the person. In a way attention is not only important for memory, but it can also be sign of respect and appreciation of other people.
Utilising memory to the fullest does not indicate blind memorising alone. We should know and understand what we memorise, a process known as elaborative rehearsal (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). Indeed, according to Craik and Lockhart (1972), our memory is the product of the various ways of processing the information. The deeper we processing the names, the better is our memory for the names. Elaborative rehearsal is an example of processing the information at a deeper level, in that you repeat the information together with knowing the meaning and elaborating it in details. This type of rehearsal creates more opportunities to develop creativity in memorising. In short, memorising names and ability to be creative must go hand in hand.
To summarise, it is important for us to understand the way our memory work, so as to allow us to remember what we want to remember. A prerequisite to remember is to be able to pay attention. Let us, therefore, train ourselves to pause and simply observe and notice. Observe and notice where we are, what we are seeing, and whom we are with. Our attention will stray, but we can consciously bring it back to the present moment. We should also do one thing at a time, so that we can be fully aware of exactly what we are doing from moment to moment. By doing so, we increase our attention, awareness and appreciation of our surroundings and people that we interact, and have a more improved quality of life.
As a conclusion, we should be thankful to Allah for giving us memory and ability to remember. Memory is a gift from Allah to mankind. Let us utilise it to the fullest. By doing this we, not only can improve ourselves but also is looking after and appreciating Allah’s precious gift to us.
References:
Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K.W. Spence & J.T. Spence (Eds.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation. New York: Academic Press.
Craik, F. I. M., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 11, 671-684.
Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology (3rd Ed). Canada: Cengage Learning.
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About the Author:
Mariam Adawiah Dzulkifli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Her full profile can be found at
Note: This article gives the views of the Authors, and not the position of the Department of Psychology IIUM Blog, nor of the Department of Psychology IIUM.