Have you ever wonder how you remember things that happened 10, 15 or even 20 years go? Thank Long term memory for that. Memory is divided into three stores based on the amount of information each one can hold and the length of time it can be stored. There is sensory memory which can last between .5 to 5 seconds, working memory which is acoustic and visual which can last 20 seconds and long term memory which can last years.

Memory is the process which is involved in retaining and retrieving information which are no longer present. Everyone recalls long term memory daily. The process to recall information is called retrieval. Long term memory is the system that is responsible for storing our memory for a long period of time. Our long term memory is basically an archive.

Have you ever passed by a place and then you retrieve a memory you never gave much thought about? I have. A few months ago, I went home to NYC to be a “tourist guide” to a cousin of mines travelling for the first time to NYC. I happened to drive her downtown Manhattan by the freedom tower. As I drove by the Tower, a memory of 9-11 came through and I became nostalgic. I was 19 years of age and classes has been cancelled at NYC Tech in Brooklyn NY. It was my first college semester and I felt like my “grown up” life was unreal. I remember exactly how I felt and how the towers looked from the east side of Manhattan. All I saw was a cloud of dust and people while some has dust on their clothing. My autobiographical memory is to blame for this.

Also, I can remember like it was yesterday getting home and watching the news. Those bodies falling of the windows of the Twin towers will forever belong in my long term memory. Episodic memory has to do with me remembering this specific event. Sometimes I wonder if my flash bulb memory is wrong, or altered. Flashbulb memory is basically a snapshot of an event, in my case of the 9-11 attack.

In conclusion, we go through life using memory. Some we store in our long term memory, some we don’t. One thing for certain is that we use our visual, acoustic and long term memory from remembering what I did a few seconds ago to what I was doing on 9-11.

References:

The Human Memory: Episodic and Semantic Memory, Luke Mastin (2010). Retrieved on 10/16/16 from http://www.human-memory.net/types_episodic.html

Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Wadsworth, Inc.

How many times during our everyday life do we use perception? The answer would be numerous time but most do not recall or give notice of.  Perception result from the stimulations of the senses. Cognitive Psychology, Pg:49.  Every move and step and sight we take we perceive things.

Did perceiving and reaction time ever get you in trouble? Donders’ pioneer experiment was interested in how long it took someone to make a decision. He did this my measuring reaction time. Pg:6.  The starting of perception is with Bottom-up processing which receptors are involved. Also building blocks called Geons are responsible for us being able to recognize objects. This is backed up by the Recognition-by-Components theory. Pg77.

Before I became a correction counselor I was a corrections officer. As an officer you always have to have your guard up. During the hours of recreational activities “yard out” it’s a time when I used perception. There was a time when I saw a fight happening and I needed to call it on the radio. There was a time between what I perceived and what was actually happening. I needed “to make the call”. The call of calling a fight or not, and running to the fights needs to be made in seconds because of life and death situations. When I ran to the fight, I also had to make sure that the inmates fighting did not have a “shank” which is a jail made weapon or not. The time of calling a fight on the radio, running to the fight and apprehending the inmates and hand cuffing them its crucial.

Now as a counselor I use perception on the “block” which is the housing unit. I use my perception when the inmates are coming back from the chow hall, yard, or from a pass.  I use perception even when an inmate is not acting his normal self. I need to watch their body language.

In conclusion, perception and reaction time goes hand in hand at my job. My story of perception is different than other stories because I need to react fast. My reaction time counts towards a situation of life or death.

References:

Goldstein, E. Bruce. (2011). Cognitive psychology connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.