Memory and its role in human life. Composition on the topic: The role of memory in human life. What is a "quite good memory"

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The role of memory in human life

Memory is one of the most important and, perhaps, the most complex processes that take place in the human brain. First of all, we need it in order to realize who we are and what place we occupy in this life.

Sometimes it happens that people for some reason lose their memory. Then they forget their loved ones and what they did before. After such incidents, they often begin to lead a completely different life than before the incident.

Memory is also necessary for us so that we can improve our knowledge and skills, gaining experience. So, a child, taking his first steps, remembers how to put his feet correctly so as not to fall. A student at school, using the resources of his memory, masters new subjects. Adults develop professionally in this way.

Thanks to memory, we have the opportunity to learn not only from our own mistakes, but also from others. For example, knowledge of important historical events gives us an understanding of the dire consequences of rash human actions.

Are our memories always a reflection of actual facts? Of course not, because a person tends to remember far from everything. Our brain focuses on events that are important to us. In addition, we often remember the good, and tend to forget the bad.

Forgetting is a kind of defense mechanism. If we remembered everything, we would probably just go crazy. Therefore, at first, the information processed by our brain enters the short-term storage, and only a small part of it then goes into long-term memory.

But these memories fade and fade over time. Therefore, if we want to preserve them, then it is worth regularly refreshing our memory. For example, leafing through albums with old photographs, re-reading your favorite books from childhood, or simply discussing the events of the past days with your friends.

Our mental world is diverse and versatile. Thanks to the high level of development of our psyche, we can do a lot and can do a lot. In its turn, mental development perhaps because we retain the acquired experience and knowledge. Everything that we learn, every experience, impression or movement of ours leaves a certain trace in our memory, which can be preserved for a long time and, under appropriate conditions, manifest itself again and become an object of consciousness.

It is thanks to memory that a person is able to accumulate information without losing previous knowledge and skills.

I. M. Sechenov considered memory "the main condition of mental life", "the cornerstone of mental development." Memory is a force “which underlies all mental development. Were it not for this power, every real sensation, leaving no trace behind itself, would have to be felt for the millionth time of its repetition in exactly the same way as the first one—the clarification of concrete sensations with their consequences and, in general, mental development would be impossibility." Without memory, said I. M. Sechenov, our sensations and perceptions, "disappearing without a trace as they arise, would leave a person forever in the position of a newborn."

Memory is a complex mental process, consisting of several private processes associated with each other. Psychological science faces a number of complex tasks related to the study of memory processes: the study of how traces are imprinted, what are the physiological mechanisms of this process, what conditions contribute to this imprinting, what are its boundaries, what techniques can make it possible to expand the volume of imprinted material. We are also faced with other questions - how long are memory traces stored, what are the mechanisms for preserving traces for short and long periods of time, what changes do memory traces undergo, and how these changes affect the course of human cognitive processes.

For the success of labor activity, various mnemonic properties of memory are important: volume, speed of memorization, retention of learned material, accuracy and speed of reproduction, readiness of memory to quickly reproduce material at the right time. Professional memory can operate with visual images, auditory (for a radio operator, hydroacoustic, musician), motor (for a serviceman, acrobat), tactile (for an inspector, doctor), olfactory and gustatory (for workers in the food and perfume industries). This can be a memory for faces (for an administrator, an internal affairs officer, a teacher) for graphic and digital material, and finally, the content of professional memory can be artistic images, words, concepts, ideas. Individual differences in this regard are very large. There are numerous examples from the life of famous chess players, musicians, linguists who had a phenomenal memory in their professional field, which was, apparently, the result of both innate memory features that determined the choice of a particular field of activity, and acquired properties.

Professional experience is stored in long-term memory. There are professions that require short-term memorization (for example, the work of a switchboard operator). Basically, professional activity is based on operational memory, which is organically included in this activity. The functions of operative memory are subordinated to the tasks and goals of this activity, are associated with its content. In this case, both the memorization time and the playback time are strictly limited by the conditions of activity.

Memorization in working memory, being arbitrary, is not at the same time memorization. And reproduction here is rarely carried out in a more or less pure form. The most typical for working memory is the retention of material for use in the decision-making process or some other operation. Working memory is closely related to long-term memory: it relies on ways of remembering and various tricks developed in other activities. In turn, long-term memory uses the techniques and methods of memorization that have developed within the working memory. Between these two types of memory there is the closest connection in relation to the circulation of information. Working memory uses part of the information stored in long-term memory; on the other hand, it itself constantly transfers some part of new information into long-term memory.

The mechanisms of the functioning of the working memory of a professional are the in vivo developing systems of neural connections that serve this activity. Therefore, the characteristics of RAM are directly dependent on the degree of formation of such functional systems. They change with the formation of these systems and the mastery of one or another activity, reaching at some level relative stability with fixed ways of performing a certain activity. With the assimilation of new, more advanced ways of activity, a new shift occurs in the characteristics of working memory. In the learning process, when the methods of memorization are only assimilated, working memory has low characteristics: small. volume, low mobility, low accuracy and poor noise immunity. This is reflected in the results of the activity itself. Successful performance of activities is possible only when the methods of remembering (and forgetting) operational information become “automated”.

An essential role in the development of professional memory, in the strength of preservation and in the accuracy of reproduction of the material belongs to motivation. This refers to both the mnemonic orientation (motivation in the narrow sense), and the attitude to work, to one's specialty, to one's professional tasks. So, A. A. Smirnov noted the influence on memorization of “a number of characterological personality traits of the one who remembers, in particular, those of his traits that are expressed in relation to work, to the requirements for it, and to the quality that it must satisfy ".

Thus, one of the ways to improve professional memory is to form appropriate motives and attitudes.

The second way, quite ancient, is to use various mnemonic techniques. For example, when studying a course in nervous diseases, students have to memorize two terms: "miosis" (constriction of the pupil) and "mydriasis" (dilation of the pupil). Students tend to confuse these terms until an experienced teacher points out that "miosis" is short and "mydriasis" is longer. Even at school, we memorize the sequence of colors in the spectrum with the help of a “magic” phrase:

"Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasants Sit." Similar techniques are known, apparently, to specialists in any field of labor activity. The method of organizing material allows a person to operate with a huge amount of information, economically using his memory. This organization is carried out with the help of the logical division of the material, its comparison, grouping, establishing links with previously accumulated knowledge.

Thus, memory functions in close interaction with thought processes, and mnemonic properties receive support in the mental properties of the individual.

Introduction 3
1. The concept of memory 4
2. Types of memory. Their brief description. 4
3. Memory processes. 7
4. The value of memory in the implementation of activities 10
Conclusion 13
References 14

Introduction

Psychological processes supply and constitute the material of the inner world of man. They have long attracted the attention of scientists, not only because they form the uniqueness, individuality of each person, but also because they are means, tools of any cognition. Without disclosing their nature, any complete, reliable and reliable separation of the objective and subjective components in the cognition of the external world is impossible.
One of the most important mental processes is memory.
Memory is a form of mental reflection, which consists in fixing, preserving and subsequent reproduction of past experience, making it possible to reuse it in activities or return to the sphere of consciousness.
Not a single mental function can be carried out without the participation of memory. And memory itself is unthinkable outside of other mental processes. Features of memory as the most important mental function were studied by many world-famous researchers: G. Ebbinghaus, T. Ribot, A. L. Smirnov, P. I. Zinchenko, A. R. Luria and others. I. M. Sechenov noted that without memory, our sensations and perceptions, disappearing without a trace as they arise, would leave a person forever in the position of a newborn
There is no doubt that the productivity of human activity is closely related to the possibilities of memory.
In connection with this, the purpose of this work is to determine the psychological essence of memory and its role in human activity.

1. The concept of memory

Memory is a mental process that manifests itself in a person's ability to retain past experience, as well as in the possibility of reusing it in one's life and activities. Memory is a trace mental reflection of the past. It makes it possible to link the past, present and future into a single process. Thanks to memory, a person absorbs the experience of previous generations, acquires new knowledge, skills and abilities.
A person uses memory all the time. It plays a big role in preserving his individual, personal and business characteristics. A person who is completely deprived of the ability to capture, preserve, recognize and reproduce his past experience, in fact, ceases to be a person. Memory is classified as a special process, giving it the role of a kind of "integrator" in relation to all other mental cognitive processes.
Thus, memory is a cumulative mental reflection of a person's past interaction with reality, the information fund of his life activity. Memory is the process of organizing and preserving a person's past experience, allowing its reuse in activities.

2. Types of memory. Their brief description.
Reasons for selection various kinds memory are: the nature of mental activity, the degree of awareness of the memorized information (images), the nature of the connection with the goals of the activity, the duration of the preservation of images, the objectives of the study
According to the nature of mental activity (depending on the type of analyzers included in the memory processes, sensory systems and subcortical formations of the brain), memory is divided into: figurative, motor, emotional and verbal-logical.
Figurative memory is a memory for images formed with the help of perception processes through various sensory systems and reproduced in the form of representations. In this regard, visual memory is singled out in figurative memory (the image of the face of a loved one, a tree in the yard of one's home, the cover of a textbook on the subject being studied); auditory (the sound of your favorite song, the voice of the mother, the noise of the turbines of a jet aircraft or the surf); taste (taste of your favorite drink, lemon acid, bitterness of black pepper, sweetness of oriental fruits); olfactory (the smell of meadow herbs, favorite perfumes, smoke from a fire); tactile (the soft back of a kitten, the mother's affectionate hands, the pain of an accidentally cut finger, the warmth of a room heating battery).
Motor (motor) memory manifests itself in the ability to memorize, save and reproduce various motor operations (swimming, cycling, playing volleyball). This type of memory forms the basis of labor skills and any expedient motor acts.
Emotional memory is a memory for feelings (memory of fear or shame for your previous act). Lack of emotional memory leads to "emotional dullness": a person becomes unattractive, uninteresting, robotic creature for others. The ability to rejoice and suffer - necessary condition mental health person.
Verbal-logical, or semantic, memory is a memory for thoughts and words. Actually, there are no thoughts without words, which is emphasized by the very name of this type of memory. According to the degree of participation of thinking in verbal-logical memory, sometimes mechanical and logical are conventionally distinguished. They speak of mechanical memory when the memorization and preservation of information is carried out mainly due to its repeated repetition without a deep understanding of the content. Logical memory is based on the use of semantic links between memorized objects, objects or phenomena.
According to the degree of awareness of the memorized information, implicit and explicit memory are distinguished. Implicit memory is memory for material that a person is not aware of. The process of memorization is implicit, covert, independent of consciousness, inaccessible to direct observation. Explicit memory is based on the conscious use of previously acquired knowledge. To solve a problem, they are extracted from consciousness on the basis of recall, recognition, etc.
According to the nature of the connection with the goals of activity, arbitrary and involuntary memory are distinguished. Involuntary memory is a trace of an image in the mind that arises without a purpose specifically set for this. Information is stored as if automatically, without volitional effort. In childhood, this type of memory is developed, and weakens with age.
Arbitrary memory is the intentional (volitional) memorization of an image, associated with some purpose and carried out with the help of special techniques.
According to the duration of the preservation of images, instantaneous (sensory), short-term, operational and long-term memory are distinguished.
Instantaneous (sensory) memory is a memory that retains information perceived by the senses without processing it. It is almost impossible to manage this memory. Varieties of this memory:
iconic (post-figurative memory, the images of which are stored for a short period of time after a brief presentation of the object; if you close your eyes, then open them for a moment and close them again, then the image of what you see saved for a time of 0.1-0.2 s will constitute the content of this type memory);
echoic (after-image memory, the images of which are stored for 2-3 seconds after a brief auditory stimulus).
Short-term (working) memory is a memory for images after a single, short-term perception and with immediate (in the first seconds after perception) reproduction. This type of memory responds to the number of perceived symbols (signs), their physical nature, but not to their information content. Exists magic formula human short-term memory: "seven plus or minus two." This means that with a single presentation of numbers (letters, words, symbols, etc.), 5-9 objects of this type remain in short-term memory. Retention of information in short-term memory is on average 20-30 s.
Working memory, "related" to short-term, allows you to save a trace of the image only to perform current actions (operations).
Long-term memory is a memory for images, "calculated" for the long-term preservation of their traces in the mind and subsequent repeated use in future life. It forms the basis of sound knowledge. The extraction of information from long-term memory is carried out in two ways: either at will, or with extraneous irritation of certain parts of the cerebral cortex. The most important information is stored in a person's long-term memory for life.
All types of memory related to different classification bases are closely interconnected.

3. Memory processes.
Memory as a complex mental phenomenon includes several interrelated processes: memorization, preservation, reproduction and forgetting.
Memorization means selective fixing (imprinting) of an image in memory. What is best remembered is what is associated with significant goals, motives and methods of activity of a given person. The memorization process, like memory itself, can be voluntary and involuntary (depending on the presence or absence of a goal during memorization), short-term, operational and long-term (depending on what tasks the memory “serves”). Associative memorization is also distinguished, with in which the perceived image is associated with some other image (recall the famous worldly “memory knots”); meaningful memorization, where the leading processes are thinking and awareness of logical connections between perceived objects or their parts; mechanical memorization, realized as a result of simple multiple and similar repetitions according to the perception of the image.
Memorization is an integral part of a special kind of activity - mnemonic.
Preservation. The very name of the process reflects its psychological essence. Information must be stored in a person's memory for some time due to the fact that it is usually significant to him. Saving information is a complex process in which information must be processed, organized and classified. The brain performs a statistical analysis of the incoming information, as a result of which it becomes possible to estimate the probability of the corresponding events and, consequently, to plan its behavior.
Reproduction is the restoration of the image of an object previously reflected in the human mind without re-perceiving it. Reproduction can be carried out in arbitrary and involuntary forms. An arbitrary form involves setting a reproductive task for an individual in accordance with a specific goal. With an involuntary form, the task is solved without a previously set goal under the influence of thoughts, ideas and feelings that arise at the current moment. Reproduction is carried out by extracting an image from long-term memory and transferring it to operational memory. Exist different types reproduction: recognition - reproduction of an image either during its repeated perception (recognition from memory), or on the basis of ideas about it (recognition by representation); reminiscence - a little-studied phenomenon of improvement: the reproduction of sufficiently voluminous information after some (sometimes quite a long) time after its receipt; recall - deliberate step-by-step reproduction of information in accordance with the goal (according to the Kamin effect, recall improves after a few minutes and after 24 hours); memory is the reproduction of information relating to the past from a person's life.
Reproduction errors are associated with the phenomena of contamination and confabulation. Contamination is associated with a person's tendency to introduce elements related to past experience, expectations, attitudes, etc. into the reproduced information. Confabulation involves adding details or filling in memory gaps with conjectures. It can be both deliberate, manipulative, and unconscious.
Forgetting is the process of gradually reducing the ability to reproduce the image of an object stored in long-term memory. For a normally functioning memory, the process of forgetting can be attributed to one of the levels: high, when a person cannot independently restore the image of an object, but relatively easily does it after repeated experience; medium, when full independent reproduction is difficult, but easily carried out when presenting some signs of an image (sometimes it is enough for a person to show his notes from afar so that almost everything written is restored in his memory); low, when a person restores information on his own without errors.
Forgetting is not the opposite of remembering. This is a completely expedient process that helps to unload memory from irrelevant to this moment details. Forgetting is not a disease of memory, but a condition of its health.

4. The value of memory in the implementation of activities

Memory is the process of organizing and preserving past experience, making it possible to reuse it in activity or re-enter the sphere of consciousness. This is the most important mental function, which is a unifying link in the organization of the psyche. It ensures the integrity and unity of the individual. Every cognitive process turns into a memory, and every memory turns into something else. Memory is of great importance for the life and work of not only each individual, but society as a whole. Already in ancient Greek mythology, recognition of the important role of memory in the development of human culture is revealed.
Memory can be defined as the ability to receive, store and reproduce life experience. Various instincts, innate and acquired mechanisms of behavior are nothing but imprinted, inherited or acquired in the process of individual life experience. Without the constant renewal of such experience, its reproduction under suitable conditions, living organisms would not be able to adapt to the current rapidly changing events of life.
Thanks to memory, a person has ideas about previously perceived things or phenomena, as a result of which the content of his consciousness is not limited to available sensations and perceptions, but also includes experience and knowledge acquired in the past. We remember our thoughts, we keep in memory the concepts that have arisen in us about things and the laws of their existence. Memory allows us to use these concepts to organize our future actions and behaviors.
If a person did not possess memory, his thinking would be very limited, since it would be carried out only on the material obtained in the process of direct perception.
S.L. Rubinstein notes that without memory there would be neither knowledge nor skills based on the past. There would be no psychic life, closing in the unity of personal consciousness, and the fact of essentially continuous teaching, passing through our whole life and making us what we are, would not be possible. .
I. M. Sechenov considered memory "the main condition of mental life", "the cornerstone of mental development." Memory is a force “which underlies all mental development. Were it not for this power, each real sensation, leaving no trace behind itself, would have to be felt for the millionth time of its repetition in exactly the same way as the first one - the clarification of specific sensations with their consequences and, in general, mental development would be an impossibility. ". Without memory, said I. M. Sechenov, our sensations and perceptions, "disappearing without a trace as they arise, would leave a person forever in the position of a newborn."
Our actions would be the same: we would be limited in them only to innate reactions to immediate stimuli and would be deprived of the opportunity to plan our future work on the basis of previous experience.
Memory is also organically involved in the process of perception. “What we see and hear always contains elements already seen and heard before. Because of this, during any new vision and hearing, similar elements reproduced from the storehouse of memory are added to the products of the latter, but not separately, but in those combinations in which they are registered in the storehouse of memory ”(I.M. Sechenov).
Any perception presupposes an understanding of what is perceived, and this is possible only with the participation of ideas reproduced in memory from past experience; 4 ;.
Short term memory has great importance to organize thinking; the material of the latter, as a rule, is facts that are either in short-term memory or in short-term memory close to it in terms of its characteristics.
Of exceptional importance is motor memory in physical education and sports (skating, cycling, swimming, etc.).
Memory plays a particularly important role in educational work, during which students must learn and remember a large number of, varied educational material. Therefore, it is pedagogically important to develop a good memory in students.
For the success of labor activity, various mnemonic properties matter: a) the amount of memory; b) memorization speed; c) the strength of the retention of the learned material; d) accuracy and speed of reproduction; e) the readiness of the memory to quickly reproduce the material at the right time.
Professional memory can operate with visual images, auditory (for a radio operator, musician), motor (for a mechanic-adjuster, acrobat), tactile (for a doctor), olfactory (for workers in the food and perfume industries). This can be a memory for faces (for an administrator, a railway car conductor, a teacher), for graphic and digital material, and finally, the content of professional memory can be artistic images, words, concepts, ideas.
Professional experience is stored in long-term memory. But basically, professional activity relies on working memory, which is organically included in this activity.

Conclusion

Memory is a property of objects of animate and inanimate nature to store information about past events in their various manifestations, due to the presence of structures in objects capable of rearranging (changing orientation, conformation, physico-chemical characteristics, etc.) under the influence of various factors and preserving for a long time, its new state in the absence of the action of the factor that caused the restructuring. Memory management is carried out due to the mechanisms of memorizing new information and forgetting the old.
Memory is the basis of mental activity. Without it, it is impossible to understand the foundations of the formation of the behavior of thinking, consciousness, subconsciousness. Memory connects the subject's past with his present and future, is the most important cognitive function underlying development and learning, and personal motivation factors have a significant influence.
An analysis of the role of memory in human activity has shown that, thanks to memory, a person is able to accumulate information without losing previous knowledge and skills.
Memory makes it possible to maintain constant tendencies towards expedient behavior for long periods of time and, to some extent, to predict behavior for the future. Therefore, in order to better understand a person, it is necessary to know as much as possible about our memory.
Without memory, the normal functioning of either the individual or society is impossible. Thanks to his memory, its improvement, a person stood out from the animal kingdom and reached the heights at which he is now.
Thus, in this work, we have shown the primary role of memory in human activity, the conditionality of the possibility of effective activity by developed memory and its types.

Bibliography

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2. Kozubovsky, V. M. General psychology: cognitive processes [Text]: textbook / V.M. Kozubovsky. - 3rd ed. - Minsk: Amalfeya, 2008. - 368 p.
3. Maklakov A. G. General psychology [Text]: textbook. allowance / Maklakov A. G. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2007 - 592 p.
4. Nemov R.S. Psychology. Textbook for students of higher educational institutions. [Text] / R.S. Nemov / / In 3 books. Book 1 General foundations of psychology.-M.: VLADOS, 2006.-573p.
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Memory can be defined as the ability to memorize, preserve and reproduce and transfer by a person to other people life experience in all its various manifestations. Memory, respectively, includes the processes of storing, storing, reproducing, recognizing and forgetting information. All these processes are sides or aspects of a holistic and rather complex human memory, however, for analytical purposes, for a deeper and more versatile understanding of memory, these processes are distinguished and considered as separate ones. Their selection and separate study are explained by the following reasons.

• 1. These processes play a different role in people's lives, which is reflected in their very names.
• 2. The same person and different people All these processes can be developed to varying degrees.
• 3. These memory processes in their functioning obey different laws.
• 4. In the anatomy and physiology of the brain, the corresponding processes are represented by various nervous structures and their characteristic physiological phenomena.

Memory underlies the whole life of a modern person: education, upbringing, professional activity, communication. Thanks to memory, in particular, the preservation and transmission from generation to generation of the knowledge and experience accumulated by people, the entire human culture, both material and spiritual, was created and continues to improve. In memory, i.e. all abilities are based on the skills and abilities preserved, passed down from generation to generation and acquired by people. Thanks to his unique memory and its constant improvement, which continues actively and with noticeable acceleration in our days, man not only stood out from the animal kingdom, but reached the level of development at which he is now. Each new generation of people today surpasses the previous one in the amount and availability of information at its disposal.

In the psychology of memory, which has a long history (research in this area has been going on for more than two and a half thousand years, and the first scientific works devoted to memory appeared in Ancient Greece), the processes of memorization and recall (reproduction) of material were best studied. This is explained by the fact that, firstly, memorization and recall are the main memory processes that have the greatest load and which a person most often uses in life. Secondly, the productivity of human memory primarily depends on these two processes. Thirdly, if people have any problems with memory, then they primarily relate to remembering or recalling material. Fourth, memorization and recall are easiest to study experimentally. Let's get acquainted with some well-known facts regarding the memorization and recall of material.

At first glance, it may seem that memorization or recall of material by a person occurs literally, i.e. when memorizing, the corresponding material is simply copied, and when it is recalled, it is reproduced in the same form in which it is stored in the human memory. Actually it is not. Both in the process of memorization and in the reproduction of material, its expedient and regular changes occur, which, however, retain the main thing in the memorized or recalled material - what a person needs in the subsequent use of the corresponding material.

In the process of memorizing the material, it highlights what is currently of interest to a person, and it is precisely this - the most interesting and corresponding to the actual needs of a person - that is remembered. As for memorizing minor, uninteresting details for a person, he does not pay attention to them at all and, therefore, does not remember. In addition, when memorizing and in the process of storing the corresponding material in memory, its internal restructuring occurs, designed to ensure that it is better remembered, retained in the memory of a person longer and easier to reproduce.

Reproduction of material, wrote A.A. Smirnov, is not its literal or mechanical repetition. Rather, it is his active mental reconstruction, i.e. recovery, accompanied by noticeable, regular and appropriate changes.

These changes are creative in nature, but do not change the main content of the relevant material that is significant for a person. They contribute to its better understanding and more durable memorization, and then - accurate reproduction. The forms of changes introduced into the material reproduced from memory can be as follows.

• 1. Generalization and reduction of what was presented in the source material (when it was first memorized) in a detailed, specific and expanded form. Due to generalization, secondary details are excluded from the material, the main thing is highlighted (underlined).
• 2. Concretization or detailing of what was initially stored in memory in a generalized and compressed form. This process is associated with the need to deepen the understanding of the material after it has been imprinted in memory. For example, when a person explains to other people what he himself knows, but does not yet understand deeply enough, he concretizes and details his knowledge with a dual purpose: Firstly, in order to understand the relevant material more deeply, and secondly, in order to better explain it to other people.
• 3. Replacing one content in the memorized material with another, equivalent in meaning. This happens when a person is not able to accurately remember the name (name) of something and conveys it in his own words.
• 4. Displacement or movement of individual parts of the original. This can happen in two cases: the first - when the content of the remembered material does not change from this, the second - when the movement of details contributes to the structuring of this material, its understanding and memorization.
• 5. Combining what in the original (during the first memorization of the material) was presented separately from each other, or separating what in the original, on the contrary, was connected. Such a change in the process of reconstruction of the recalled material can occur for the same reasons that are indicated in paragraph 4.
• 6. Supplementing the material with what was not in the original (original). This happens when significant connections are found between the memorized material and some other material after it has been memorized.

Thus, reproduction as a process of memory is both the restoration in memory of what was perceived and remembered, and its change or transformation. Almost all of the above changes that take place during the playback of the memorized material are not distortions or memory errors. They are expedient and have a positive meaning, presenting the reproduction of the relevant material as a reasonable and creative process.

Recognition also cannot be understood as a literal copying of material. In the case of recognition, as a rule, there is no complete restoration of the recognizable material in the memory. Instead of its holistic and literal reproduction, a person gets the feeling that he was already familiar with this material, met with it somewhere and sometime. In most cases, a person is not able to fully restore the material he has learned in his memory and cannot answer the question of how much what he has learned corresponds to what he once knew.

With regard to the preservation and forgetting of material, in relation to these two memory processes, the question of the accuracy of the material stored or forgotten does not arise at all. In the case of the storage of material, we can practically say nothing about how exactly what is stored corresponds to the original. Since reproduction does not literally restore what is stored in our memory, it is difficult to tell from reproduction to what extent what is stored in memory originally corresponded to the original. When forgetting, something is lost with which it would be possible to compare the forgotten, and, therefore, the question of its correspondence to the original does not make sense.

All these considerations definitely indicate that human memory in all its manifestations is something other than a simple mechanical copying or mirror image of the material to be remembered, retained, recognized or recalled. Nevertheless, memory, being not quite accurate in terms of matching the original, may well suit a person. The main thing is that it provides him with the information necessary and sufficient to meet current needs. From a scientific point of view, however, it is important to study in detail everything that happens in a person’s memory, to explore all its processes in order to better understand how a person’s memory is arranged. Such knowledge, in particular, will help specialists in computer and other technology, where there are memory blocks, to improve their work.

A holistic scientific concept of memory, with the exception of the reasoning about memory, presented in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (4th century BC), first arose in the associative psychology of the 18th century. and was reflected, in particular, in the works of D. Gartley (1705-1757) and D. Priestley (1733-1804). Further, from the associative positions, human memory was theoretically and experimentally studied in the 19th century. G. Ebbinghaus (1850-1909) and I. Müller (1850-1934), as well as scientists representing the introspective psychology of consciousness and functional psychology (W. Wundt, W. James, etc.). The associative psychology of memory remained the leading direction in its study for two centuries, and during this time a large number of facts concerning human memory have been identified and accumulated.

The main statement of associative psychology was that associations are the main mechanisms for organizing the work of human memory. Representatives of Gestalt psychology V. Köhler (1887-1967) and K. Koffka (1886-1941) categorically disagreed with this provision. From their point of view, memory processes are based not on associations, but on the structural organization of the material being remembered. It is this organization of the material that determines, in their opinion, both the memorization and the preservation or recall of the material. W. Koehler connected the meaningfulness of memorization with the principle of the integrity of memory processes, pointing out a significant difference in memorizing meaningful material and meaningless syllables. In Gestalt psychology, which was represented by the scientists mentioned above, it was argued that the more the memorized material is organized into a structural whole and is not the sum of incoherent elements, the more meaningful and faster it is remembered, the longer it is stored in memory and the better it is remembered. Thus, in line with Gestalt psychology, a new theory of memory has developed, which differs significantly from the associative one.

A new contribution to the development of the scientific study of memory was made by representatives of French functional psychology, primarily P. Janet (1859-1947). The merit of this scientist was that he was the first to consider memory from a functional point of view, i.e. in terms of its role in human life. He, in addition, carried out a cultural and historical analysis of human memory, showed its significance in the evolution of people. P. Janet was the first to present the memory of modern man as a product of a long historical development of people, he was the first to introduce the idea of ​​its progressive transformation - development into the study of memory. In his work "The Evolution of Memory and the Concept of Time" (1928), he pointed to the main sources of the socio-cultural development of memory - the practical activity of a person and the means by which it is carried out. It is these means, according to the scientist, that a person uses to master and manage his memory, improving them from generation to generation.

Experimental studies of human memory, despite the long-standing interest in memory as such, were started relatively recently. The German scientist G. Ebbinghaus, whose main works date back to the end of the 19th century, turned out to be the first of the psychologists who began the experimental study of memory, and by the time the results of the first experimental studies of memory were carried out and published, associationism and introspection still dominated in psychology as the main method of studying mental phenomena. He, in turn, demanded the division of complex mental phenomena into elementary phenomena, and introspection - internal observation of their dynamics.

G. Ebbinghaus himself adhered to the associative theory in understanding the nature of memory. Unlike his compatriot and contemporary W. Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology in general, with whom G. Ebbinghaus had a discussion about the possibility of an experimental study of memory (W. Wundt denied such a possibility), G. Ebbinghaus refused to use introspection in memory studies, replacing its more reliable, objective research methods. Nevertheless, being a staunch supporter of associationism, G. Ebbinghaus strictly followed the canons of associative psychology in organizing his experiments and in theoretical understanding of the results obtained in them. This, in particular, was manifested in the fact that G. Ebbinghaus came up with many meaningless three-letter combinations (the so-called "syllables") and offered them to the subjects as stimulus material for rote memorization, believing that by doing so he was studying "pure" memory, not complicated by other mental phenomena.

This circumstance, of course, was a methodological mistake of the scientist, since memory in such a “pure” form does not exist in nature, and the version of “purification” of memory that G. Ebbinghaus used in his experiments led to the fact that he, firstly , left without attention the most complex and organized memory of a person, based on intellect (memory, which L.S. Vygotsky later called the highest mental function); secondly, he studied only the simplest human memory, based on the repeated, mechanical and meaningless repetition of material learned by heart.

At the same time, the unconditional merit of G. Ebbinghaus was the development of objective methods for the experimental study of memory. These methods were published as early as 1885. Subsequently, many other methods were added to them, proposed not only by H. Ebbinghaus, but also by other scientists. Many of the methods for studying memory, first developed by G. Ebbinghaus, are still used in psychological science and in practice to this day. These are, in particular, the method of anticipation, the method of successive reproductions and the method of saving (saving).

The anticipation method is a method of studying memory, which involves the reproduction of the memorized material in the order in which it was presented to the subject when memorizing it. In particular cases of applying this method, the subject is required to anticipate (anticipate) the next unit of the material being memorized at the time when he perceives and memorizes (learns) the previous unit. The method of successive reproductions is a method of studying long-term memory, in which the subject is required to remember and repeatedly reproduce the learned material in separate attempts spaced apart in time. The method of saving (savings) is as follows. First, for a certain number of repetitions, the subject learns some material. This sets the number of attempts necessary for him to fully memorize the material. Then, after some time (several hours or days), the subject reproduces the material from memory, and in case of playback errors, completes it. In conclusion, the difference between the number of attempts required for the initial memorization of the relevant material and its subsequent relearning is determined. This difference is seen as savings or savings in effort (sometimes time).

A new stage of scientific psychological research into memory, both theoretical and experimental, falls on the first half of the 20th century, and at that time many psychologists were engaged in memory research. different countries world, including Russia. Memory research at this time went beyond associationism, covering Gestalt psychology, functional psychology, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism. This contributes to an increase in the number of directions and schools in the study of memory, the creation of its new theories.

A great contribution to the study of memory in these years was also made by domestic scientists, where this problem for several decades was in one of the first places among all psychological studies. Among the Russian scientists who dedicated their works to the memory of man were L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leontiev, P.I. Zinchenko, A.R. Luria, A.A. Smirnov and others.

In the second half of the XX century. the initiative in the scientific study of memory passed to representatives of cognitive psychology. They proposed a number of new theoretical models of memory, supported by relevant experimental studies and data. The specificity of their characteristic approach to the study of memory was that they did not see the fundamental difference that exists between human memory and the memory of electronic computing devices.

Our body is a truly amazing mechanism that can perform a variety of functions and tasks. A particularly important role is played by the full-fledged activity of the brain, because it is this organ that is responsible for the activity of all corners of the human body. It is the brain that is responsible for the quality of memory. Adequate perception of information and its full reproduction, if necessary, is important not only for work, but also for mental activity. Let's talk on this page www.site about exactly what role memory plays in a person's life, and I will also tell you how to develop memory in an adult.

The role of memory in people's lives

Literally from the very birth, people begin to acquire a new life experience. Starting somewhere from the age of one, the child begins to consistently and constantly learn something. Over time, this process becomes more intense, gaining peak activity in school years and during vocational training. A modern person spends from ten to twenty years on compulsory and active education. Of course, without a good memory, full-fledged learning is simply impossible. This is precisely the most basic function of human memory. So, if people did not have a powerful and fast-acting ability to remember, store and subsequently transmit information to other generations, humanity would not be able to reach the current level of development. If, for example, we retained our physical body, but at the same time lost the memory of the past, then humanity would have leaned back more than one thousand years in development.

Speaking more globally, a person needs memory to save information about everything that happens in his life. Only thanks to it we can perform all the functions: move in space, talk, eat food, etc. It is the ability to remember that provides us with the opportunity to perform any work and learn something new. Therefore, a modern person cannot do without a good memory. The work of a person's memory is priceless for himself and humanity as a whole. That is why you need to take care of your abilities and develop them.

How to develop a person's memory?

As practice shows, many people note with age that the ability of their brain to memorize and reproduce information decreases by an order of magnitude. Scientists say that this is a completely natural process. Comparing memory with an ordinary muscle, which cannot perform its intended functions without training, it becomes clear why this happens. But this problem of human memory is solvable.

For the full development of memory, it is necessary to determine which particular ability to memorize is best developed in a person. In total, experts distinguish visual, auditory, figurative and verbal-logical memory. It is believed that most often the most developed is visual memory, but exceptions to this rule are not uncommon. For example, in the presence of a person tends to better perceive information by ear. Also, the most developed are those types of memory that are used most intensively.

So adults are advised to actively stimulate the most promising types of memory, but at the same time pay attention to other varieties for the most even development. You can train memory using special techniques of mnemonics, this is the name for the method of memory development, based on an attempt to visualize what is remembered. A classic example of mnemonics is the example of remembering the colors of the rainbow, known to many of us from childhood: "Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits."

Improving human memory is impossible without proper nutrition. Namely, it is necessary to include in your diet a sufficient amount of ascorbic acid, tocopherol, vitamins B6 and B12. You need to consume quite a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids, an excellent source of which is oily sea fish, nuts, etc.

For effective memory development, it is worth using different exercises that make the brain work. So experts recommend memorizing logically unrelated texts, numbers, and, finally, memorizing and reproducing logically related material. A good effect is given by exercises in memorizing facial features, names and surnames, certain dates.

It is believed that learning a foreign language can be a wonderful impetus to the development of memory in adults. Such gymnastics for the brain helps to activate the processes of memorization and broaden one's horizons.

There is a point of view that music helps to develop memory. Therefore, if you want to improve the functioning of the mechanisms of memory and recall, attend concerts periodically.

For the full development of memory in adults, it is extremely important to provide the brain with enough oxygen. So, if you suffer from nicotine addiction, keep in mind that cigarettes are the main cause of hypoxia. And if you live in a large metropolis, then in order to ensure the full functioning of the brain and, accordingly, memory, you should periodically get out of the city, walk in parks, near water bodies, etc. And do not forget to ventilate your apartment or office, even in severe frost.

Remember that severe stress, depression and shock worsen memory and destroy the brain by an order of magnitude. That's why Negative consequences Such influences should be prevented: do yoga, sports, properly relax, meditate, get enough sleep and eat well.

In fact, achieving a good memory in adulthood is quite simple, you just need to constantly train the memory processes and protect your brain from aggressive influences.