Memory is a process in which stimuli, images, events, ideas, and skills are retained, retrieved and used for information after the original information is no longer present. (Goldstein, 2011). There are different types of memory, some of them including sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. I will be focusing on sensory memory, which is defined as, “the retention, for brief periods of time, of the effects of sensory stimulation. (Goldstein, 2011). Sensory memory is the first process in Atkinson and Shiffrin’s modal model of memory. It is where outside stimuli and information are first input into our memory. Whether the information is important or not will determine if the information will move into short-term memory or long-term memory.
Sensory memory is so brief lived it was George Sperling who concluded that the information received will then decay in less than a second. I can recall moments that would fall under my own sensory memory, one being the smell of perfume. I went to Macy’s to go and shop for new makeup and perfume. When I walked up and sprayed a perfume that looked nice, I my sense of smell was flooded by the scent of the perfume. I know in that moment I could smell the notes of the perfume, however as the mist faded and the droplets in my nose evaporated so did the memory of what the perfume smelled like and the notes I could once recall. Now, just like in those moments after the scent faded, I cannot tell you what that perfume smelled like.
Now this example shows how even though the smell of the perfume was strong, and I could instantly recall notes that I smelt in the perfume, the memory of the smell and notes inside, only lasts less than a second after the original stimulus is gone. Now, looking back I remember picking up the perfume and smelling it but the smell is gone from my mind. The retention of the stimuli is brief and fleeting. However, if I was to smell a perfume and be taken back to an old memory of a person or place that would mean that introduction of stimuli to my memory retrieved a long-term memory I had. Without the memory retention or connection to a place or person that memory fades from my memory almost instantly when the original information is taken away.
Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology (4th ed.).
The memory and emotional association with smell has always been one of my favorite things. Coming from someone who tends to smell everything, learning about the association with memory and smell was enlightening and interesting. Another thing I found in association to smell is that is that losing our sense of smell, or anosmia (absence or loss of the sense of smell) also has psychological impacts. “It can be seen that losing one’s sense of smell can result in the loss of an important sentimental pathway to memories.” This website also goes to explain that “smell loss occurs with both Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers, and studies indicated that a diminishing sense of smell can be an early sign of the onset of both conditions.” I thought it was really interesting that losing our sense of smell can have an effect on our pathway to memories. One symptom of COVID was loss of smell in positive patients, I wonder if this has had, or will have an impact on the memory pathway of people who had this symptom.
“Psychology and Smell – Fifth Sense.” Fifth Sense – The Charity for People Affected by Smell and Taste Disorders, http://www.fifthsense.org.uk/psychology-and-smell/.
I thought this post was particularly interesting and well written. That bizarre sense of deja vu that you can get sometimes from a specific smell is something all to familiar to me. Your mention of perfume is a great example, I know for me specifically I have about 2 or 3 perfumes I have been using for years consistently and when my friends smell it they have said they think of me. When I was younger my friends and I used to also discuss how each of our houses had a distinct and different scent. This could be due to different laundry detergents our families used, cleaning supplies, food, candles or air fresheners, or a multitude of other reasons. However when we smelled that scent we would instantly be reminded of the persons house that scent belonged to and it would trigger a whole host of memories. It’s so interesting how scent and smells can be such a trigger for memories and associations we have with them. You also mentioned how fleeting it can be and that’s absolutely true. Once the scent goes away, so does the memory and the thought you were having based on what you were just smelling.
Hello! This was a very interesting read. Personally, I have always found it insane that a smell could bring back a memory and it definitely feels weird when I experience it. This made me want to do some research as to how/why smells can bring back memories. One explanation I found was that when we smell something, the scent goes straight to the brain’s smell center (olfactory bulb). And this is directly connected to the amygdala and the hippocampus, which are greatly involved with memory (Hamer, 2019).
Work Cited
Hamer, A. (2019, August 1). Here’s why smells trigger such vivid memories. Discovery. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.discovery.com/science/Why-Smells-Trigger-Such-Vivid-Memories#:~:text=Scents%20bypass%20the%20thalamus%20and,memory%20or%20even%20intense%20emotion.