Neurological Bases Of Memory Study

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While there is a long history of the study of memory, across many fields of study, the concept is still ill-defined. To correct this, further inquiry is needed to overcome critical blind spots in scientific understanding of memory. Critical blinds spots in the neurological bases of memory, episodic and semantic memory, as well as working memory will be discussed to better understand the current state of memory and what it truly is.
Early efforts to understand memory began with Plato around 428 to 348 B.C., who thought of memory as a connection between the rational world and the perceptual world (King, Viney, & Woody, 2009). Other ancient philosophers have made contributions to the concept of memory, including Aristotle, who believed that memories …show more content…

This is not the case. One problem with the current understanding of memory, is that the study of memory is limited by advancements in neurophysiology (Radvansky, 2015). While not every aspect of memory is dependent on an understanding of neurophysiology, some certainly are. Computer metaphors have been used by memory theorists to reduce complicated processes, involving neurophysiology and cognition, into easily understandable …show more content…

In this case, the brain and its structures are the hardware of the computer, while cognitive processes are the software (Houghton, 2004). In other words, for a period of time, it was understood that memory theorists did not need to know how the brain worked to be able to create theories about memory. Theories related to encoding, storage, and retrieval of memory are prime examples of this. Generally, encoding is any acquisition of information, storage is the retention of memories, while retrieval is being able to bring the memory back into conscious awareness (Terry, 2009). Evidence of encoding memories, or software, can be seen despite knowledge of the brain structures, or hardware, that are responsible for the encoding. Similarly, it can be made evident that memories have been stored, despite knowledge of the hardware that permits storage, and the same is true of the retrieval of memories. In some ways the computer metaphor provides a simplistic way to understand memory, but it could also serve to limit our understanding of the brain because of the many ways that the brain is different from a computer’s