Memory Essay Example for Free

Memory Essay 1. What is primary memory? What are the characteristics of primary memory? It has long been noted that it is possible to hold some information in mind for a brief period of time. In the late 1950s, researchers began to think that such brief memories might be supported by the primary memory. The three characteristics of primary memory are: forgetting (caused by both interference and decay); the format in which the information is coded (in terms of sound, visual appearance, and meaning); and the amount of information that can be held, or capacity (which depends on the type of information). Much (but not all) of the forgetting from primary memory occurs due to interference. Proactive interference occurs when older learning interferes with new learning. In retroactive interference, later learning interferes with earlier learning.   It appears that material can be coded in primary memory in at least three ways: visuospatially, acoustically (in terms of sound), and semantically (in terms of meaning). There is also evidence for a primary memory component that can store tactile memories—that is, how things feel on the skin—but not much research has been directed toward that representation (Harris, Miniussi, Harris, Diamond, 2002; Romo Salinas, 2003). Around the turn of the 20th century, researchers began to use the digit span task to measure the capacity of primary memory. 2. What is the process of memory from perception to retrieval? What happens when the process is compromised? The perception of primary memory occurs in manifold ways. Much of it consists of our knowledge of what words mean, about the ways they are related to one another and the rules of communication and thinking. This kind of memory, which makes use of language possible, is semantic memory; while primary memory can also consist of episodic memory which is organized with respect to when certain events happened in our lives. It is a record of what happened to us and does not lend itself to drawing of inferences. The storing of primary memory occurs in various ways. One of them is organizing and arranging the input so that it fits into existing long-term memory categories, grouping in some logical memory, or arranging in some other way that makes â€Å"sense†. The organizational encoding may be inherent in the input itself or it may be supplied by individuals as they learn and remember new things. Imagery also plays an important role in storing of information into memory. One explanation for the importance of stimulus imagery in learning and storing information to memory, is that a concrete stimulus (one, for which, imagery is readily evoked in mind) provides a conceptual peg on which responses can be hung. During encoding, the to-be-remembered information, especially if it is a complex life event or something you have read, is modified. Certain details are accentuated, the material me be simplified; which is called constructive processes. One important constructive process is encoding only the gist or meaning of complex information such as what we have read in a newspaper, magazine, or book. 3. Is it possible for memory retrieval to be unreliable? Why or why not? What factors may affect the reliability of ones memory? Successful retrieval of a memory depends largely on the cues available at the time of retrieval. But sometimes, when cues will not help; the memory is simply lost. The idea that memories simply fade away with time corresponds to our everyday experience, but it is difficult to prove. It is more certain that new things you learn can interfere with things that you already know, thereby causing forgetting. The idea that memories simply fade away with time corresponds to our everyday experience, but it is difficult to prove. It is more certain that new things you learn can interfere with things that you already know, thereby causing forgetting. Forgetting can occur because (a) you don’t have the right cue for retrieval, (b) the association between the cue and the target memory is compromised in some way, or (c) the target memory itself is lost. There is some evidence supporting each mechanism. We briefly consider the possibility that some memories are never lost.

Sherlock Holmes - I am lost without my Boswell. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. :: English Literature

Sherlock Holmes - I am lost without my Boswell. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes- I am lost without my Boswell. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859, and had a good education. He received a tax demand a year after he married which prompted him to try to earn some extra money. At first he tried to get short stories published in the cheaper magazines of the time, but with no success. His big break came when Lippincott's Magazine, in the USA, offered Doyle an advance to write another Holmes and Watson story. His success continued, and he was knighted in 1902. He continued writing until he died in 1930. The three Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective stories I have studied are: 'The Speckled Band', 'Scandal in Bohemia', and 'The Copper Beaches'. I am going to talk about the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Holmes is the hero of the stories; he is a very clever detective who is exceptionally particular to detail. His powers of detection are breathtaking and he loves an intellectual challenge. He is usually calm and controlled, his behaviour is often eccentric and, emotionally he comes across as cold, detached and aloof. His romantic life is never referred to yet his admiration for Watson is clearly genuine. Despite his faults, he is also honorable and very brave. Watson is the narrator of the stories. He tells the story but is not as clever as Holmes, and he often fails to understand the significance of certain events and often misses what Holmes can see as a clue to the mystery. He is faithful companion to Holmes. Uncomplicated and trustworthy, Watson is portrayed as being slow and dimwitted, when compared to Holmes, a perfect ally to Holmes' acute intellect. The Speckled Band, is, in my opinion, the best out of these three stories. It is the most exciting and I think Holmes enjoys the case because of the intellectual challenge. It involves the Roylott family who lived at Stoke Moran. Helen Stoner consults Holmes when her sister dies in suspicious circumstances. At the beginning of this story, Miss. Stoner comes to see Holmes about the case, and accepts the Watson is Holmes' sidekick, 'This is my intimate friend and associate, Dr. Watson, before whom you can speak as freely as before myself.' This also happens in The Copper Beaches. When Miss. Hunter writes a letter to Holmes stating that 'I am very anxious to consult you'. From the start of this particular story you can see that Watson is hard working, and has a willingness to help Holmes in any way possible.

The Morality of Zoos

The word zoo is a fairly broad term. Zoos are most commonly thought of as an attraction rather than a means for education. More importantly, they are rarely associated with the survival of the human race. While zoos are a form of entertainment for the public and a taxable industry for the government; most of them do in fact research the animals they have in their captivity. This research can be beneficial and life saving for humans and if it were not for this testing, we would not have many key vaccines that we have today. For the sake of this paper the term zoo can be applied to all animals in captivity.This includes those for entertainment, medical testing, and rehabilitation/protection. Tom Reagan wrote on if zoos are morally defensible, but included all of the previously listed forms of captivity under the title of â€Å"zoo†. He argues that zoos are immoral because of rights based principles; however, he fails to see the implications of assuming that animals have equal ri ghts to humans. Although his conclusion is false, it is morally wrong and unnecessary to keep an animal in captivity purely for public amusement and financial gain. Reagan presents two views in proving the immorality of zoos.First is the utilitarian standpoint which claims that the suffering of animals being in captivity far outweighs the suffering of humans had the animals not been in captivity. The second view is the rights based principle, which is that animals have rights and should not be in captivity. He sides with the latter of the two theories, deciding that the utilitarian view fails to asses all of the components of human suffering without zoos. He claims that animals morally have rights to freedom and respect thus making it immoral for humans to take this away from them.The real hitch in his theory though, is how he proposes the moral rights of animals. He claims that they have rights because of their awareness to their existence and therefore knowledge of suffering and p leasure. However, although animals are aware, they are not conscious of cause and effect. They don’t see the morality behind suffering, they just instinctually avoid it. To ascertain that they have the same rationalization powers as humans do on deciding if their actions are causing pleasure or pain, is to give their awareness too much credit.A good paper to prove this point, is Carl Cohen’s Do Animals Have Rights? In it he responds to Regan’s theory that animals have rights. Cohen decides that Regan’s biggest error is associating two different versions of the broadly used term â€Å"inherent value† to formulate his conclusion. Regan claims that because animals have inherent value they are moral agents and should not be used in a fashion that makes them less important than humans. However, Cohen says that just because they have inherent value it does not mean they are moral beings.Surely because they feel pain it is immoral to cause them to suffer needlessly but this does not give them the same rights as humans. Animals live in an amoral world without respect or knowledge of other living thing’s rights. Since they are unaware of morals and rights, it seems absurd to hold them to the same moral standard as humans. It would appear then that when deciding on the moral legitimacy of zoos, it would be correct to separate human rights from the natural laws that animals live by. The natural world is based on survival.Animals kill other animals to survive and out of instinct. House cats torture their prey before killing it, and bears eat their prey alive. Animals act without the knowledge of other living beings having a right to life because it is not a matter of rationalization for them. They do not see the suffering of other animals as a moral issue because they are incapable of grasping such a concept. Because we as humans do have the ability to rationalize we also have the responsibility to avoid causing harm and suffering to other living things.However, humans need to survive too, and if it means keeping animals for medical testing then this should not be looked at any differently than a wolf attacking a human so as to not starve. Animals already use other animals as tools for survival; and if this is the case as it is in medical testing, then captivity should be allowed. Same goes for animal rehabilitation and protection from extinction. Although wildlife preserves are more ideal for most animals in this case, even a small enclosure zoo could be in that particular animal’s best interest concerning its health.Small enclosures and preserves can also give humans lots on insight into the daily routines of animals so as to better protect them from extinction. What is inhumane and immoral however, is using zoos for monetary gain and personal entertainment. Through evolution some animals have become accustomed to human interaction and unnatural surroundings. Those that are not, however, should not be put in captivity for no reason. That’s why we have house pets.

Reflections on Society in Literary Works - 865 Words

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s I Only Came to Use the Phone and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies characters experience dehumanization through isolation from society. While some might believe that Marquez and Golding use the trapped characters’ actions to criticize society, it they are actually doing the opposite. All immoral behavior done by characters in these literary works are done in the absence of society, showing that the authors are actually portraying society as the stabilizing element of our morality, and the structure of our humanization. Without society, for characters like Maria, Jack, Roger and Ralph, the essence of humanity is lost and the line between man and beast blurred. In the beginning of both stories there is still a great presence of society. In Lord of the Flies, directly after the plane crash the boys set up a mini society on the island. The vote for a leader and choose Ralph, much like we do in society today. The text even states that à ¢â‚¬Å"This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch.† (Golding, 22) This of course shows how the boys crave and choose structure and civility over chaos and anarchy†¦ at first. Voting is something that we do in a democratic society and the conch itself is a symbol of democracy and order. Both of these things please the boys, which demonstrate that the structure of society is keeping them human and civilized. In the beginning of I Only Came to Use the Phone the main character, Maria is torn away from societyShow MoreRelatedGender Inequalities in Victorian England: Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover984 Words   |  4 Pageswe will delve into the fascinating world of classic Victorian literature. Under the microscope is canonized poet, the late Robert Browning. Browning’s poetry was a reflection of his life and times living in Victorian England. 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