More Brain Points

I can’t seem to remember: How conscious memory can lead to forgetting.

            Forgetfulness is a problem that we all encounter as we are faced with endless amount of information on a daily basis, that we struggle to categorize and encode in the appropriate way. As we encounter new events, skills, and habits our brain in constantly working to encode these new processes, while not leaving old ones behind. As Loyola students, and many other college students across the county prepare for finals this is a concern, can the act of recalling some memories facilitate the forgetting of others?

            During his talk at Loyola University Chicago Anthony Ryals discussed his research on implicit memory and the limits it can have. Our memory has two distinct functions that are responsible for  processing specific information. Our explicit memory also known as declarative memory,  is dedicated to recalling facts and events. Our implicit, or non- declarative memory is responsible for recalling how to perform skills and habitual tasks. We often think that these two states of our memory happen independently of one another, but Ryals explains that this may not be true.   When an individual is determining if an event is a declarative or non-declarative task this involves both some function of conscious and unconscious awareness (Ryals).

To show how individuals can display both states of awareness a behavioral study was performed on participants in both direct, and indirect ways. In the direct task participants are asked to retrieve information they have previously experienced (Ryals). In the indirect task, participants are asked to complete word stems with the first word that comes to mind. They are more likely to complete the stem with words they have previous viewed (Ryals). Ryals also further explains how both implicit and explicit memory can work together to recall long term familiar memories. In fMRI scans of individuals testing shows that conceptual implicit memory can occur during explicit memory testing( Ryals). This shows that implicit memory processing is being done in a test measuring familiarity.

An article by VeryWell, they touch on the subject of implicit and explicit memory and how they can compete against one another. Specifically with memory recall and how individuals have trouble doing so. Kendra Cherry explains in her article that the brain has two distinct pattern of memory and brain mechanism have the ability to influence how memories are recalled. Individuals that have experienced traumatic events or in eyewitness cases the repetitive recall process does not help with remembering the event “particularly in the area of eye-witness testimony, the researchers suggested. Since witnesses are often asked to recall and repeat the same, specific memory over and over again, this constant recall might seriously impair associated, competing memories”(Cherry). The repeated recall of an even can lead an individual to the weakening of an individual’s declarative memory making the brain think it is not important. This article presents an opposing explanation for explicit and implicit memory stating that they work as two separate functions that contribute to the function of remembering events, rather than working on a continuum.

                                                            Work Cited

Cherry, Kendra. "Why Remembering Also Leads to Forgetting." www.verywell.com.

 8 May 2015. Web.  4 May 2016.

Ryals, Anthony. Outer Limits of Implicit Memory. 2014