Unit 6 memory discussion
Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed a very interesting memory model that can be broken
down in to three different parts. The first stage is the Sensory Memory which includes
all the information that our senses can bring in and usually lasts about ¼ of a second to
3 seconds. This part of the memory process can hold a lot of information as the senses
have a lot of data associated with them.
The next stage is the short term memory which processes the information that is
transferred to it from the sensory memory. The information stays in this area for a little
bit longer but it is still only 20 seconds and is has a limited amount of information it can
store at a given time. This is also where old information is retrieved from long term
memory to compare with the new information to add it into long term memory.
The last stage is long term memory where all the information that is processed by short
term memory is stored. It still baffles researcher but our brain is almost like a computer
how it work but it has an unlimited capacity for memory storage. The duration of the
information stored is usually permanent but things can fade and decay from memory for
many various reasons.
Flashbulb memory: My flashbulb memory is the moment I found out I was going to be a
father. My fiancé had known for a couple weeks and she planned a night out. We
arrived at T-Rex Café, one of my stepson’s favorite restaurants. We got through all of
dinner and I didn’t suspect anything, but then they came with a dessert cupcake and
placed it in front of me. When I looked down the plate read, “You’re going to be a
daddy…again!” (They didn’t know my fiancé’s son was my stepson. I was in complete
shock and I didn’t think it was real. I remember my fiancé was next to me starring at
me, smiling, my stepson was asking if he could have the cupcake and the waiters and