Memory is a constructive process. We have a tendency to change and adapt our memories as we recall them. Memory construction is the way we filter or fill in missing information to make our recall more coherent (Wede 2023). In reality, we are unable to verify the accuracy of a recollection. If an event we recall simply exists in our memories without any supporting evidence, then it is untrustworthy and perhaps biased.
In first grade, my parents took me to visit our family in Brazil. Looking back, there is one memory that I think I remember vividly. This trip has been mentioned over and over throughout the past couple years. It feels as though I’ve told everyone about this specific incident, which makes me think, did the incident happen the way I have been telling people?
I am not sure that my memory of events matches how they actually transpired. Taking a shower in my grandma’s house seemed to have so much interest. I remember thinking her shower was so cool because she had a sliding door shower. This was new to me; I didn’t have it at home. While in the shower one night, I was playing around with the door until it slid closed on my finger, cutting it open. There was blood everywhere.
I can say that I do not remember much from my 2 week long vacation to brazil. But I remember this specific moment. Now, what happened before and after this memory, I can not recall. This leads me to question, is the only memory I remember even truly accurate?
I believe that this traumatizing memory led me to a change in perspective. Perception is very important. It is used to organize, select, and interpret our sensations. Because I cut open my finger laying with the shower door, I began to avoid the shower door. I refused to touch the door after that moment. This is an example of Top-Down Processing. Top Down Processing is when you use prior knowledge and experience to make sense of incoming information- how our brain interprets existing knowledge (Wede 2023). Memory construction and top down processing go hand in hand with one another.
Wede, Josh. “Lecture 11-Forgetting & Biology of Memory.” The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 22 October, 2023. Lecture.
Wede, Josh. “Lecture 6- Sensation & Perception.” The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 22 October, 2023. Lecture.