Memory is defined as the process involved in retaining, retrieving, and using information about stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills after the original information is no longer present(Goldstein pg. 120). Past events that we experience can play into how we respond to future or present events and happenings. Short term memory is defined as staying with us for brief periods for about 10 to 15 seconds. These memories are not repeated in our mind over and over again so therefore they are short term memories. Long term memory our memories that we store over the course of a lifetime or longer than brief short term memories are stored. We also experienced some thing called procedural memories which are actions like remembering how to ride a bike or how to drive a car. Semantic memory is another form of long-term memory which involves the recognition of names or addresses and being able to identify different people, places, or things because it has been stored for the long term in our memory (Goldstein pg. 120).

In 1968 Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin introduced a flow chart called the modal model of memory which demonstrated three different types of memory. First there was sensory memory which which is the first stage of memory and essentially only holds information for a few seconds or fractions of seconds. This information is about sensory happenings around the individual. The second type of memory is short term which holds seven to ten items for 15-20 seconds. The third and final proposed type of memory is long term. This is the remembering of large amounts of information for years or even decades (Goldstein pg. 121).

Since short term memory is so fleeting, it is easy to assume it is less important than other types of memory. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. Short term memory is responsible for everything we are aware of and know about during a present moment. A great misconception about short term memory is that it can last for a long period of time, however as mentioned earlier it is determined that it only lasts for 15-20 seconds or even less (Goldstein pg. 127). Many studies have been conducted to understand how much can be recalled from short term memory and the duration in which it lasts. Lloyd Peterson and Margaret Peterson conducted a study using letters and counting backwards. The participants were given a set of letters and then were instructed to count backwards from a certain number and after being told to stop they were asked to recall the letters. The findings of this study were that participants recalled about 80% of the three letter groups if they had only been counting for 3 seconds. The number dropped to the participants only remembering about 12% of the three letter groups after counting for 18 seconds (Goldstein pg. 128).

In a book by Christine Hyung-Oak Lee titled “Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember: The Stroke That Changed My Life” she discusses how she suffered a devastating stroke at the age of 33 which left her without short term memory and also the loss of the ability to access meaning or connection between types of long term memory. In her book she discusses how this stroke has impacted even the smallest aspects of her life down to when she cooks dinner. She details how making a simple dish like pasta has become a difficult task as she struggles to remember what she is doing and why she was doing it. She writes about how she had to keep note of everything she did in a notebook down to who she spoke to that day, what was discussed, things she did, and so on. Over the years her brain became to form connections again and she regained the ability to remember things from one minute to the next.

This story is an excellent example of how often we use short term memory and may not even realize it. In the book Lee discusses how when cooking she would begin chopping onions and by the time she finished she was unable to remember why she had been chopping them. I’ve also witnessed it firsthand when my brother had a seizure and was unable to remember it even happening shortly after. The EMT’s asked him basic questions about how he had been feeling and even his age and he struggled to remember anything. It can be an incredibly frustrating experience to be unable to remember something that just happened. We use our short term memory every day constantly, and it helps us stay on track and go about our day with purpose. The loss of it can lead to many difficulties and frustrations we can it even begin to imagine until we have lost it.

References

Goldstein, E. B. (2015). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience 4th ; student ed.). Cengage Learning.

Loria, Kevin. “A New Book Tells the Story of What It’s like to Lose Your Short-Term Memory at the Age of 33.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 16 Feb. 2017, https://www.businessinsider.com/anterograde-amnesia-christine-hyung-oak-lee-memoir-2017-2.