Research by Daniel Schacter, a memory process specialist, cognitive psychologist and professor of psychology at Harvard University, argues that our memories are subject to seven errors that, because of their functioning, are common to all of us. These seven mistakes were called the seven, sins of memory.
Schacter explains that research shows that the process of remembering and retrieving memories is a construction activity, he says the human memory system is not perfect, it has its shortcomings and we are all subject to it, which can be affected by these problems in our daily lives.
- In his book “The Seven Sins of Memory.
- ” Schacter systematically classifies several memory distortions into seven basic categories.
- According to him.
- These seven categories of memory distortion are: fleeting.
- Poor allocation.
- Blocking.
- Poor allocation.
- Suggestion.
- Prejudice and persistence.
However, Schacter says that “these memory distortions should not be seen as a defect in system design, but these suggestions can be conceptualized as by-products of desirable characteristics of human memory. “
In this sense, Schacter points out that there is evidence that memory meets the needs of the present and that the past is reconfigured with current knowledge, beliefs and emotions. Memory errors are as fascinating as they are important, he said.
These sins of memory often occur in our daily lives and are not, in themselves, a sign of pathology. The problem is that the consequences that often arise from this amnesiac problem are not highly desirable.
Daniel Schacter maintains that memory dysfunction can be divided into seven fundamental transgressions and sins: on the one hand, we have the sins of omission, which are the result of not remembering an idea, a fact or an event (memory recovery) .
These include fleeting or ephemeral (loss of retention over time), inagging or mental bloating (attention failures resulting in memory loss) and blocking (inability to recover information available in memory).
On the other hand, there are sins of commission, which involve different types of distortion, that is, the cases in which memory is recovered but there is a failure in this redial, this can happen because it is poorly coded or because it was subsequently changed without us having the account data.
These include disjudgement (allocating memory to an incorrect source), suggestionability (implanted memories resulting from suggestions or misleading information) and prejudices (distorting effects that flow from the knowledge we already have, beliefs and feelings in memory).
Schacter also proposes a final sin, persistence, which is linked to intrusive and unwanted memories that we cannot forget even if we want to.
Fleeting or fleeting refers to memory deterioration, deterioration or loss over time, i. e. memory weakens over time. In fact, we can remember recent events far more than the furthest in the past. This is a basic feature of memory and also responsible for many memory problems.
The fleetingness is due to interference. There are two types of interference: proactive interference, in which old information inhibits the ability to remember new information, and retroactive interference, in which new information inhibits the ability to remember old information.
Mental tension or inaout attention involves a break in the interface between memory and attention, which involves problems to the point where attention and memory are linked.
Memory errors because we are distracted (losing keys or forgetting an invitation to eat, for example) tend to happen because we are concerned about problems or concerns that distract us, so we do not focus on what we should focus on to memorize and remember. .
That is, when it comes to coding, we do not pay enough attention to what we owe and, therefore, memory is not formed.
The blockage has to do with a frustrated search for information that we are desperately trying to recover, this occurs when the brain tries to retrieve or encode information, but another memory interferes with the process.
This frustrating experience happens even if we pay attention to the task at hand, and even if the memory we want to evoke has not disappeared from our brains, in fact, we only realize when we unexpectedly recover the memory stored hours or days later.
The sin of bad allocation involves allocating memory to an incorrect source, that is, having a correct information memory but with a small error related to the source of that information.
Incorrect attribution or misrepresentation can occur when people incorrectly recognize something they have already found as a new element related to perception or a similar concept.
It is important to note that mis attribution is much more common than most people think and has potentially profound implications in the legal context.
Suggestability is somewhat similar to erroneous attribution, but with the inclusion of an open suggestion. The sin of suggestion refers to memories that can be implanted in our brain as a result of important questions, comments or suggestions when a person tries to remember a past experience.
In other words, suggestionability is the incorporation of erroneous information into memory due to important questions, lies, or other causes.
Prejudice is retrospective distortions produced by current knowledge and current beliefs. This sin is similar to suggestion toward a person’s current feelings and vision by distorting the memory of past events.
In this way, the sin of prejudice reflects our ability to significantly change our memories without realizing it. We often edit and rewrite our past experiences completely, without being aware of what we are doing, based on what we know or believe at that time.
The result may be a sesathed representation of a specific incident or even an extended period of our lives, which says more about how we feel now than what happened at the time.
Persistence is a memory system failure that involves the recurrent retrieval of disturbing information that we wanted to ignore. Persistent memory can lead to the formation of phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and even suicide in particularly disturbing or intrusive cases.
In other words, perseverance refers to unwanted memories that people cannot forget, such as those that may be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, that is, the sin of perseverance implies a repeated reminder of disturbing information that we would like to forget.
Although the sins of memory seem to be our enemies, they are actually a logical consequence of how our mind works, as they relate to characteristics of memory that make it work well.
Therefore, as Schacter argues, the sins of memory are not a nuisance that we must minimize or avoid, and they must be seen from a positive point of view.
Through all research, we know more about how memory uses the past to inform the present, how it preserves the elements of present experience for future reference, and how it allows us to revisit the past at will. these sins of memory as virtues, as elements of a bridge that allows us to unite our minds with the world.