Biological Basis of Memory

There are two types of long-term memory. These are explicit memories and implicit memories. These are differently affected with things like brain damage. Explicit memories are consciously remembered and brought forth when necessary. This is sometimes referred to as declarative memory. Implicit memory or non-declarative memory is subconscious. They are formed by behaviors.

There are further subdivisions of explicit and implicit memory. Episodic memory is explicit and involves experienced events. Semantic knowledge is explicit and involves remembering knowledge and concepts. Procedure memory is implicit and involves skills and actions. Emotional conditioning is also an implicit memory.

Retrieval involves the ability to get a memory back into our recall when needed. This is called retrieval. These memories come from long-term storage and are necessary for daily functioning. There are three ways to achieve this retrieval process. These are recall, recognition, and relearning. Recall means using cues to remember a memory without having to use cues. Recognition is when you can identify things that you have already learned but now are seeing again. It is what happens in a multiple-choice examination. Relearning involves learning information after not using it from a previous learning experience.

BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF MEMORY

The question put to researchers in the beginning of memory work is where in the brain are memories stored. Karl Lashley sought to identify the engram, which was where memory would be represented physically. This was not found and he came to believe in the equipotentiality hypothesis, which is that, if an area of the brain is damaged, another part of the brain can take over the memory. Newer research is being undertaken to find this engram. While it hasn t been found, the main areas of the brain involved in remembering things are the hippocampus, the amygdala, the cerebellum, and the prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobe.

As you might remember, the amygdala is an organ related to emotions, like anger and fear. Because the storage of memory is influenced by stress and by stress hormones, things like the fear response and fear-related memories are partly controlled by the