Arbitrary memory: concept, functions, principle of operation and methods of memory development

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

It's no secret that memory in the life of every person plays exactly the primary role. And this applies to any sphere of life, whether it is study, work or even personal life. Memory can be considered both under the prism of psychology and from a medical point of view. From a psychological point of view, memory is a mental activity, the task of which is to accumulate and correctly use information in the organization of any activity. Without this, a person will not be able to think or learn anything new. Depending on the presence of a target, memory is divided into arbitrary and involuntary.

What are the types of memory?

There are several categories on which the classification of memory depends. They are as follows:

• character of activity;
• goal of activity(voluntary/involuntary);
• duration of memorization and storage of information.

Let's consider the types of memory according to the purpose of the activity.

Involuntary memory

This type of memory can be defined as memorization, reproduction of information, in which there is no specific goal to remember something. It's just that some situations, words, events cut into our memory completely involuntarily. Many experiments were carried out, as a result of which the voluntary and involuntary processes of memorization were studied. An example is the following case, when the scientists who conducted the research, unexpectedly for the subjects, were asked to remember absolutely everything that they remembered on the way from home to work. In the course of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: people most often remembered what they did, and not what they thought about, also thought about what contributed to the achievement of the goal, or, conversely, remembered strange and atypical events.

Experiments

Author of the study P. I. Zinchenko in his experiment analyzed the productivity of involuntary memory in relation to the same information, depending on the motive, the purpose of the activity, and so on. The result of the experiment was as follows: the information that is associated with the goal is remembered faster and better than the information that is aimed at the conditions for achieving this goal. Background stimuli are the worst remembered by a person. Another important work of the scientist concerned the features of the work of memory.depending on the activity and content of a particular mental activity. The subjects had the goal of remembering the words or finding a semantic connection between them. As a result of the experiment, it turned out that people remembered words much better if their content was comprehended at the same time. Moreover, the level of memorization depended on the level of activity of comprehension. Psychologists have come to the conclusion that involuntary memorization directly depends on the main purpose of the activity during which this memorization was carried out. Also, the motive, intention has its importance - they determine this activity.

Arbitrary memory

The essence of this type of memory is to remember any information on purpose, to learn what is needed. Arbitrary memory has also been the subject of many studies and experiments. From the point of view of psychology, this type of memory is a process that is carried out due to the control of consciousness. This goal is achieved through the setting of certain tasks, the use of special methods, and the application of efforts. Simply put, when we have a goal to remember any information, we set this goal consciously and make certain efforts to achieve it. Arbitrary memory plays an important role in the normal functioning of each person, as it helps in the implementation of any activity, in the process of development, self-improvement, personality formation, and so on. It works according to the following principle: initially a specific goal is set to remember, to leave in the head someinformation that will later need to be reproduced as acquired knowledge, skills acquired earlier. Of all the types of memory that an individual possesses, it is arbitrary that is considered the most productive.

Development of arbitrary memory

We train our bodies, go to the gym to keep fit, but what about the brain? After all, just like muscles, it can grow and develop. Our task is to provide him with favorable conditions for development. Try to set one specific goal. So you can train even the arbitrary memory of a preschooler.

Of course, multifunctionality or the ability to perform several tasks at the same time is a very important quality in the modern world. However, as practice shows, the constant switching of attention from one task to another negatively affects the overall productivity of a person. Especially if you switch to unimportant things like checking social media. There is only one way out of this situation - start accustoming your brain to longer periods of concentration. Arrange all available cases in order of priority and concentrate on each for at least 15 minutes, without being distracted by external factors.

Learn to memorize

Try saying your mobile number out loud. Divide the numbers into blocks and do not call them in a row with solid text? This is because our brain, when remembering lists of words or numbers, leaves only the first and last items in our heads. Do an experiment when you go shopping with a shopping listtry to remember it by first breaking it into groups. For example, three products from the dairy department, four from groceries, two from the meat department. Thus, there will be fewer items between the first and last number and the list will be remembered faster. This item is especially important for training arbitrary memory in children.

How not to forget the names of new acquaintances?

Do you often meet new people and can't keep all the new names in your head? Try the following technique: when meeting, repeat the name of the interlocutor at the beginning of the dialogue and at the end. When we speak out loud, a large part of the brain is activated, including the one responsible for pronunciation. As a result, we pay more attention to the name of a new acquaintance and remember it faster.

What to do with tasks that run automatically?

Scientists have proven that about 50% of your daytime a person is in a kind of “autopilot” mode. Try to remember how many things you did automatically today? Did you prepare breakfast? Did you take a shower? Did you go to work? To keep your brain in good shape, you should train it with new activities in the same way as you train your body in the gym. Do not be lazy to throw new tasks to the brain. For example, try getting to work in a different way, or cook a new dish for breakfast.

Learn new languages

Nobody is talking about becoming a polyglot, just learn at least basic phrases when you go on a trip to a new country. At least you won't have any problems withto order food in a restaurant. Well, it cannot be mentioned that scientists have proven that learning foreign languages is an increase in intellectual abilities in general.