Memory refers to the encoding and storage and retrieval of information i.e Memory is the ability to retain information or to recover information about previous experiences, is a function of the brain. When we remember something, a process takes place in which our brains recover and reconstruct information about things we’ve done or learned.

Ideas about memory that emphasize the processing of information in stages or steps are known as information- processing theory.

A. Very brief storage of incoming information in a sensory register.
(Sensory memory is the first level of memory; Sensory memory retains the brief impression of a sensory stimulus after the stimulus itself has ended. Example images we see or sound we hear.
 
B. Transfer of some of this information to short term memory (STM)
(The information in the short-term memory does not fade away as quickly as information in the sensory memory. The information in the short-term memory will be lost in about twenty à thirty seconds, unless it is processed further.)

C. Information transfer by means of rehearsal, from short term to long term memory.( It’s capacity is extremely large and  everything that we have ever learned or experienced, will be stored and available for retrieval from long-term memory.)

We are unable to retain or recall everything that we learn everyday in our life. Many of the experiences slip away from our memory with the passage of time. This is called forgetting. Forgetting refers to the apparent loss of information already encoded and stored in long term memory. Forgetting depends on various factors. Students tend to forget things commonly for following reasons.

• Length of the learning material is a factor of forgetting. The more is the time taken in learning, the quicker is the rate of forgetting. Attitude or interest of the learner is an important factor in forgetting. Prose pieces are learnt with much pains at the cost of much time. Forgetting in the case of prose materials sets in quickly.

• Under learning is another important cause of forgetting. If the lesson is half learnt, forgetting will be very quick.

• Injury or shock to the brain is another cause of forgetting. We all know about the shock of amnesia. (It is a profound memory deficit due to the loss of what has been stored or  the inability to form new memories)

• Forgetting often takes place due to the influence of drugs. Narcotic drugs make the neurons (memory messengers in nervous system) ineffective. As a result drug addicts become forgetful.

• Emotional factor plays a role in the retrieval

failure that is the cause of so much forgetting. If we encode information while in one emotional state and try to retrieve it while in another, our recall may suffer.

• Retroactive inhibition is often the cause of forgetting. When we learn anything, some time
is taken for its consolidation. We often try to learn lots of things within a short span of time, one after another. In all such cases later experience casts influence on the previous experiences. Many things become blurred and forgetting sets in. Hindrance in the previous learning owing to the effect of later learning is called retroactive inhibition.

• Forgetting may often set in due to mental fatigue. Long work of tiring mental work makes us mentally fatigued and exhausted. Our alertness is lowered. Forgetting becomes natural due to mental fatigue.

• Forgetting may also become regular for want of proper rest. Rest pause helps in consolidation. Want of proper sleep is often the cause of forgetting.
• The psychoanalysts are of the opinion that ”we forget because we want to forget!”(motivational forgetting) We repress unpleasant memories into the unconsciousness. We want to forget the sorrows and horrors of life. So we forget them pretty soon.

Improving memory: Strategies
Mnemonics refers to specific memory improvement techniques. Most mnemonics techniques rely on the linking or association with material to be remembered with a systematic and organized set of images or words that are already firmly established in long-term memory and can therefore serve as reminder cues. The reminder cues are called memory pegs. The order of colors in the spectrum can be remembered by associating each color with the name ROY. G. BIV-red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

In the method of loci, the memory pegs are parts of our images of a scene. The scene can be a street, house or anything that can be visualized clearly and contain a number of discrete items in specific locations to serve as memory pegs. Rehearse this image over and over until it is well established in our mind.

In number system, form an image with each number. For example rhyming system can be used for numbers from 1 to 10. Thinking of words that rhyme with numbers 1- bun, 2- tea, 3- tree and etc.

Letter systems are similar. Establish mnemonic pegs by forming strong, distinctive images of words that start with the sound of the letters of the alphabet.

If we have a list of unrelated items to remember, a useful mnemonic device is to relate the items in a made up story. The story starts with the first item on the list, and in order, each succeeding item is worked in. Doing this gives coherences and meaning to otherwise unrelated items. It is a form of elaborative encoding.

Chunking is a systematic way of encoding information. Example we want to remember a number like 20081914 24101978. The first 4 numbers are the current year 2008, the next 4 numbers are word war I starting year and next could be the date of birth.

Specific Strategies for Enhancing Memory among students:

The memory demands for students are much

greater than they are for adults. As adults, we have already acquired much of the knowledge and skills we need to function day to day. Although the knowledge base for some fields such as technology changes rapidly, the new information is generally highly specific and builds on existing knowledge. On the other hand, school children are constantly bombarded with new knowledge in multiple topic areas in which they may or may not be interested. Additionally, they are expected to both learn and demonstrate the mastery of this knowledge on a weekly basis. Thus, an effective and efficient memory is critical for success in academics.

• Information on any topic should be presented to students in a variety of formats including spatial, linguistic and sequential.For example, if students are presented with an outline, it may be given in the traditional sequential way as well as with using a strategy called “mind mapping”. Mind mapping is a
spatial /
configurationally format while the traditional way in which students are instructed is a linear/sequential format.

• Students who have difficulty with memory registration and/or working memory may need directions repeated to them. As they get older, they will need to write directions down to help them remember them.

• When students have difficulty remembering what they have read, they should be taught to paraphrase (recode information) as they read and to take notes in the margins, underline, highlight and/or make notes on a Post-It. If they made notes on a Post-It, they can place the Post-It on paper and have a summary of what they have read.

• Note taking is an activity that may help students register information in memory as well as to consolidate it. Note taking is a skill that should be taught to all students. Students with handwriting problems may have a difficult time with this task, however, and may need alternative strategies.

• Students who have working memory problems may need to use a calculator to solve multiple step math problems. Also when completing a writing assignment, they should use a “staging” procedure that allows them to focus on one aspect of writing at a time. With this procedure, they would first generate ideas, then organize them, and finally attend to spelling and mechanical and grammatical rules. Students should also write the topic and any key ideas they have down and refer to these when writing their assignment.

• It may be helpful for students to review material right before going to sleep at night. Research has shown that information studied this way is better remembered. Any task that is performed after reviewing and prior to sleeping interferes with consolidation of information in memory.

• All students would benefit from self-testing. They should identify the important information, formulate test questions and then answer them. This is also a useful exercise to perform with a study buddy.

• When students need to remember a series of steps or events, it may be helpful for them to draw diagrams or flow charts of the steps/events.

• Paired associations as well as most other information is remembered better when it is rehearsed using multiple sensory modalities. For example, a student who is trying to remember basic math facts would walk a number line as they were saying the math facts.

• Students who have difficulty accessing specific pieces of information should not be required to answer questions “on the spot” during class discussions. They should be given the question at an earlier time and forewarned about when they will be called on. These students should also be given extended time to take tests. They may perform better with open-ended questions and take home an open book test.

• Students with memory problems may perform better when tested on relatively small amounts of material. They may also perform better when test questions require recognition memory rather than recall (e.g., multiple choices and/or matching). Projects are also a good way for some students to demonstrate their knowledge without such demands on memory.

• In order to enhance the likelihood that all students will elaborate on new incoming information, teachers should activate their prior knowledge and make the new information meaningful to them.

• In order to avoid interference of other tasks,
tests should be given at the beginning of the class period.

• Students should be taught the necessity of “over learning” new information. Often they practice only until they are able to perform one error-free repetition of the material.

• Students should be required to identify the particular memory strategies that they will use for specific situations. For example, they should be asked how they plan on remembering all of the states and their capitals in the United States.

Studying to remember involves planning, rehearsal, organization, feedback and review