Definition of memory

Memory- this is a mental property of a person, the ability to accumulate, (remember) store, and reproduce experience and information. Another definition, says: memory is the ability to recall individual experiences from the past, realizing not only the experience itself, but its place in the history of our life, its placement in time and space. Memory is difficult to reduce to one concept. But we emphasize that memory is a set of processes and functions that expand the cognitive capabilities of a person. Memory covers all impressions about the world that a person has. Memory is a complex structure of several functions or processes that ensure the fixation of a person's past experience. Memory can be defined as a psychological process that performs the functions of storing, storing and reproducing material. These three functions are fundamental to memory.

Another important fact: memory stores and restores very different elements of our experience: intellectual, emotional, and motor-motor. The memory of feelings and emotions can last even longer than the intellectual memory of specific events.

Basic features of memory

The most important features, integral characteristics of memory are: duration, speed, accuracy, readiness, volume (memorization and reproduction). These characteristics determine how productive a person's memory is. These memory traits will be mentioned later in this work, but for now - a brief description of the memory productivity traits:

1. Volume - the ability to simultaneously store a significant amount of information. The average amount of memory is 7 elements (units) of information.

2. Speed ​​of memorization- differs from person to person. The speed of memorization can be increased with the help of a special memory training.

3. Accuracy - accuracy is manifested in the recall of facts and events that a person has encountered, as well as in the recall of the content of information. This trait is very important in learning.

4. Duration- the ability to retain the experience for a long time. A very individual quality: some people can remember the faces and names of school friends many years later (long-term memory is developed), some forget them after only a few years. The duration of memory is selective.

5. Ready to play - the ability to quickly reproduce information in the mind of a person. It is thanks to this ability that we can effectively use the experience gained earlier.

Types and forms of memory

There are different classifications of types of human memory:

1. By the participation of the will in the process of memorization;

2. According to the mental activity that prevails in the activity.

3. By the duration of information storage;

4. In essence, the subject and method of memorization.

By the nature of the participation of the will.

According to the nature of the target activity, memory is divided into involuntary and arbitrary.

1) involuntary memory means memorization and reproduction automatically, without any effort.

2) Arbitrary memory implies cases where a specific task is present, and volitional efforts are used for memorization.

It has been proven that material that is interesting to a person, that is important, is of great importance, is involuntarily remembered.

By the nature of mental activity.

According to the nature of mental activity, with the help of which a person remembers information, memory is divided into motor, emotional (affective), figurative and verbal-logical.

1) Motor (kinetic) memory there is memorization and preservation, and, if necessary, reproduction of diverse, complex movements. This memory is actively involved in the development of motor (labor, sports) skills and abilities. All manual movements of a person are associated with this type of memory. This memory manifests itself in a person first of all, and is essential for the normal development of the child.

2) Emotional memory- memory for experiences. Especially this kind of memory is manifested in human relationships. As a rule, what causes emotional experiences in a person is remembered by him without much difficulty and for a long time. It has been proven that there is a connection between the pleasantness of an experience and how it is retained in memory. Pleasant experiences are retained much better than unpleasant ones. Human memory is generally optimistic by nature. It is human nature to forget the unpleasant; memories of terrible tragedies, over time, lose their sharpness.

This type of memory plays an important role in human motivation, and this memory manifests itself very early: in infancy (about 6 months).

3) Figurative memory - associated with the memorization and reproduction of sensory images of objects and phenomena, their properties, relationships between them. This memory begins to manifest itself by the age of 2 years, and reaches its highest point by adolescence. Images can be different: a person remembers both images of various objects and a general idea of ​​them, with some kind of abstract content. In turn, figurative memory is divided according to the type of analyzers that are involved in memorizing impressions by a person. Figurative memory can be visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and gustatory.

Different people have more active different analyzers, but as it was said at the beginning of the work, most people have better developed visual memory.

· Visual memory- associated with the preservation and reproduction of visual images. People with a developed visual memory usually have a well-developed imagination and are able to "see" information even when it no longer affects the senses. Visual memory is very important for people of certain professions: artists, engineers, designers. Mentioned before eidetic vision, or phenomenal memory b, is also characterized by a rich imagination, an abundance of images.

· Auditory memory - this is a good memorization and accurate reproduction of various sounds: speech, music. Such a memory is especially necessary when studying foreign languages, musicians, composers.

· Tactile, olfactory and gustatory memory- these are examples of memory (there are other types that will not be mentioned) that do not play a significant role in human life, because. the possibilities of such memory are very limited and its role is to satisfy the biological needs of the body. These types of memory develop especially acutely in people of certain professions, as well as in special life circumstances. (Classic examples: blind-born and deaf-blind-mute).

4) Verbal-logical memory - this is a kind of memorization, when a word, thought, logic plays an important role in the memorization process. In this case, a person tries to understand the information being assimilated, clarify the terminology, establish all the semantic connections in the text, and only after that remember the material. It is easier for people with a developed verbal-logical memory to memorize verbal, abstract material, concepts, formulas. This type of memory, in combination with auditory, is possessed by scientists, as well as experienced lecturers, university professors, etc. logical memory when trained gives very good results, and is more effective than mere rote memorization. Some researchers believe that this memory is formed and begins to "work" later than other species. P.P. Blonsky called it "memory-story". A child already has it at the age of 3-4, when the very foundations of logic begin to develop. The development of logical memory occurs with the teaching of the child the basics of science.

By the duration of information storage:

1) Instant or iconic memory

This memory retains material that has just been received by the senses without any processing of information. The duration of this memory is from 0.1 to 0.5 s. Often, in this case, a person remembers information without conscious effort, even against his will. This is a memory image.

An individual perceives electromagnetic oscillations, changes in air pressure, changes in the position of an object in space, giving them a certain value. The stimulus always carries certain information specific only to it. The physical parameters of the stimulus affecting the receptor in the sensory system are converted into certain states of the central nervous system (CNS). Establishing a correspondence between the physical parameters of the stimulus and the state of the central nervous system is impossible without the work of memory. This memory is manifested in children as early as preschool age, but over the years its importance for a person increases.

2) short term memory

Saving information for a short period of time: on average, about 20 s. This kind of memory can occur after a single or very brief perception. This memory works without a conscious effort to remember, but with an attitude towards future reproduction. The most essential elements of the perceived image are stored in memory. Short-term memory "turns on" when the so-called actual consciousness of a person operates (that is, what is realized by a person and somehow correlates with his actual interests and needs).

Information is entered into short-term memory by paying attention to it. For example: a person who has seen his watch hundreds of times may not answer the question: “Which numeral - Roman or Arabic - is the number six shown on the watch?”. He never purposefully perceived this fact, and thus the information was not deposited in short-term memory.

The amount of short-term memory is very individual, and there are developed formulas and methods for measuring it. In this regard, it is necessary to mention such features as substitution property. When an individual memory space becomes full, new information partially replaces what is already stored there, and the old information often disappears forever. A good example would be the difficulty in remembering the abundance of first and last names of people we have just met. A person is able to retain no more names in short-term memory than his individual memory capacity allows.

By making a conscious effort, you can keep information in memory longer, which will ensure its transfer to working memory. This is the basis of memorization by repetition.

In fact, short-term memory plays a critical role. Thanks to short-term memory, a huge amount of information is processed. The unnecessary is immediately eliminated and what is potentially useful remains. As a result, there is no overload of long-term memory with unnecessary information. Short-term memory organizes a person’s thinking, since thinking “draws” information and facts from short-term and operative memory.

3) Working memory is memory, designed to store information for a certain, predetermined period. The storage period of information ranges from a few seconds to several days.

After solving the task, the information may disappear from the RAM. A good example would be the information that a student is trying to put in during an exam: the time frame and the task are clearly set. After passing the exam, there is again a complete "amnesia" on this issue. This type of memory is, as it were, transitional from short-term to long-term, as it includes elements of both memory.

4) long-term memory - memory capable of storing information indefinitely.

This memory does not begin to function immediately after the material has been memorized, but after some time. A person must switch from one process to another: from memorization to reproduction. These two processes are incompatible and their mechanisms are completely different.

Interestingly, the more often information is reproduced, the more firmly it is fixed in memory. In other words, a person can recall information at any necessary moment with the help of an effort of will. It is interesting to note that mental ability is not always an indicator of the quality of memory. For example, in weak-minded people, phenomenal long-term memory is sometimes found.

Why is the ability to store information necessary for the perception of information? This is due to two main reasons. First, a person deals at each moment of time with only relatively small fragments of the external environment. In order to integrate these time-separated influences into a coherent picture of the surrounding world, the effects of previous events in the perception of subsequent events must be, so to speak, “at hand”. The second reason has to do with the purposefulness of our behavior. The acquired experience should be remembered in such a way that it can be successfully used for the subsequent regulation of forms of behavior aimed at achieving similar goals. The information stored in a person's memory is evaluated by him in terms of its significance for controlling behavior and, in accordance with this assessment, is kept in varying degrees of readiness.

Human memory is not in the least a passive store of information - it is an active activity.



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Introduction

Memory is of great importance, since it depends on its development how intelligent and educated a person will be. The development of memory begins in childhood, including in preschool educational institutions.

Memory is the basis of any mental phenomenon. Sensations and perceptions without the inclusion of memory in the act of cognition would be experienced by a person as having arisen for the first time, which would exclude the possibility of knowing the world and orienting in it. Memory ensures the unity and integrity of the human personality. The normal functioning of the individual and society is impossible without memory.

Memory has several types: figurative, semantic (verbal-logical), motor, emotional, short-term and long-term.

The development of memory is necessary and important even in childhood, since the further development of the child depends on it, therefore the relevance of the work lies in the fact that among the variety of proposed methods and means, choose the one that meets all standards, is effective and rational.

The purpose of the work is to explore the types and features of human memory, its development in the learning process.

To write this work, the following research methods and techniques were used: studying the literature on this topic; psychological and pedagogical techniques (observation).

The significance of sociocultural factors in the formation of higher forms of memory was studied by P. Janet. The mechanisms of memory and various types of memory - motor, emotional, figurative, verbal - logical, were studied in detail by P.P. Blonsky, L.S. Vygotsky, J. Bruner, J. Piaget. A great contribution to the development of the processes of voluntary and involuntary memorization was made by P.I. Zinchenko, A.A. Smirnov and others. Features of the memory of preschool children are described in detail in the works of L.A. Venger, V.S. Mukhina. The development of cognitive processes of a preschool child in various types of cognitive-speech activity and activation methods that increase the cognitive activity of children are described in the works of O.A. Shagraeva, L.G. Niskanen, N.N. Podyakova, R. Zintsa, F.V. Ippolitova, E.S. Malykh, D. Lapp and others.

1. The concept of memory. Types of memory

R.S. Nemov notes: “The impressions that a person receives about the world around him leave a certain trace, are preserved, consolidated, and, if necessary and possible, are reproduced. These processes are called memory. “Without memory,” wrote S.L. Rubinshtein, “we would be creatures of the moment. Our past would be dead to the future. The present, as it flows, would irrevocably disappear into the past.

Memory is the basis of human abilities, it is a condition for learning, acquiring knowledge, developing skills and abilities. Without memory, the normal functioning of either the individual or society is impossible.

Memory can be defined as the ability to receive, store and reproduce life experience. Diverse instincts, innate and acquired mechanisms of behavior are nothing but imprinted, inherited or acquired in the process of individual life experience. Without the constant renewal of such experience, its reproduction under suitable conditions, living organisms would not be able to adapt to the current rapidly changing events of life.

All living beings have memory, but it reaches the highest level of its development in humans. No other living being in the world has such mnemonic possibilities as he possesses.

Human memory can be defined as psycho-physiological and cultural processes that perform the functions of remembering, storing and reproducing information in life. These functions are basic for memory. They are different not only in their structure, initial data and results, but also in the fact that they are developed differently in different people.

In the scientific literature, there are various definitions of memory, which are presented in Table 1.

Table 1 - Definition of memory given by different authors

	Definition of memory
R.S. Nemov	Psychophysiological and cultural processes that perform the functions of remembering, preserving and reproducing information in life.
S.K. Nartova-Bochaver	The property of the psyche to perceive, store and reproduce some information, which can have a very different form and content.
E.I. Horns	Imprinting, preservation and subsequent recognition, and reproduction of traces of past experience, which allows you to accumulate information without losing your previous knowledge, information, skills.
L.V. Cheryomushkin	The basis of mental life, the basis of our consciousness. It is a magic box that preserves our past for our future.
	The ability to preserve and reproduce in the mind previous impressions, experience, as well as the very stock of impressions and experience stored in the mind.
M.N. Ilyin	The ability to receive, store and reproduce information. Memory underlies the abilities of the child, is a condition for learning, acquiring knowledge and skills.
G.A. Uruntaeva	Mental cognitive process, consisting in the reflection of past experience.
V.M. Smirnov	The ability of an organism to acquire, store and reproduce information and experience in consciousness.

Thus, the above definitions indicate the disunity of the concept of "memory", that it is a philosophical category. After analyzing the definitions of "memory", we will adhere to the characteristics of the concept of "memory" by E.I. Rogov: memory - imprinting, preservation and subsequent recognition, and reproduction of traces of past experience, allowing you to accumulate information without losing your previous knowledge, information, skills.

In modern psychological literature, there are various classifications of types of memory. Figure 1 shows the classification of memory developed by M.A. Cold. In our opinion, this classification most fully reflects all types of memory, which also include subtypes of memory.

Figure 1 - Classification of memory

So, depending on the duration of information storage, the following types of information are distinguished:

short-term memory is a way of storing information for a short period of time. The duration of retention of mnemonic traces here does not exceed several tens of seconds, on average about 20 (without repetition);

random access memory, designed to store information for a certain, predetermined period, in the range from several seconds to several days. The period of storage of information in this memory is determined by the task facing the person, and is designed only for solving this problem. After that, the information may disappear from the RAM. This type of memory, in terms of the duration of information storage and its properties, occupies an intermediate position between short-term and long-term;

Long-term memory is a memory capable of storing information for an almost unlimited period of time.

When using long-term memory, recall often requires thinking and willpower, so its functioning in practice is usually associated with these two processes.

In many life situations, the processes of short-term and long-term memory work in conjunction and in parallel. For example, when a person sets himself the task of remembering something that obviously exceeds the capabilities of his short-term memory, he often consciously or unconsciously turns to the use of semantic processing and grouping of material, which facilitates memorization.

Such a grouping, in turn, involves the use of long-term memory, appeal to past experience, extracting from it the knowledge and concepts necessary for generalization, ways of grouping the memorized material, reducing it to the number of semantic units that do not exceed the amount of short-term memory.

Figure 2 shows the interrelated work of short-term and long-term memory, including displacement, repetition and coding as private processes that make up the work of memory.

Figure 2 - Memory scheme according to R. Atkinson and R. Shifrin

The translation of information from short-term to long-term memory often causes difficulties, since in order to do this in the best way, it is necessary to first comprehend and structure the material in a certain way, link it with what a person knows well. It is precisely because of the insufficiency of this work, or because of the inability to carry it out quickly and efficiently, that people's memory seems to be weak, although in fact it may have great potentialities.

According to the material of activity, memory is distinguished:

motor, which is the memorization and preservation, and, if necessary, reproduction with sufficient accuracy of diverse complex movements. It is involved in the formation of motor, in particular labor and sports, skills and abilities. The improvement of human hand movements is directly related to this type of memory;

emotional is a memory of experiences. It is involved in the work of all types of memory, but it is especially manifested in human relationships. The strength of material memorization is directly based on emotional memory: what causes emotional experiences in a person is remembered by him without much difficulty and for a longer period;

figurative - this is a memory for ideas, for pictures of nature and life, as well as for sounds, smells, tastes. It can be visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory;

verbal, which refers to the memorization of material related to the sign system - words, texts, mathematical symbols, and so on, and the processes of operating with this material.

According to the leading analyzer, the following types of memory are distinguished:

visual, associated with the preservation and reproduction of visual images. It is based, in particular, on the process of memorizing and reproducing material: what a person can visually imagine, he, as a rule, remembers and reproduces more easily;

auditory - this is a good memorization and accurate reproduction of various sounds, for example, musical, speech. This type of memory is characterized by the fact that a person who possesses it can quickly and accurately remember the meaning of events, the logic of reasoning or any evidence, the meaning of the text being read, and the like.

Tactile, olfactory, gustatory and other types of memory do not play a special role in human life, and their capabilities are limited compared to visual, auditory, motor and emotional memory. Their role is mainly reduced to the satisfaction of biological needs or needs related to the safety and self-preservation of the organism.

According to the nature of the participation of the will in the processes of memorization and reproduction of material, memory is divided into involuntary and arbitrary. In the first case, they mean such memorization and reproduction, which occurs automatically and without much effort on the part of a person, without setting a special mnemonic task for himself (for memorization, recognition, preservation or reproduction). In the second case, such a task is necessarily present, and the process of memorization or reproduction itself requires volitional efforts.

L.N. Leontiev considers arbitrary memorization as a purposeful mediated process, including certain techniques or methods of memorization. He found that under the conditions of an experiment with memorizing words (based on pictures), some older preschoolers are already able to use this memorization technique, as evidenced by a significant increase in the number of words retained in memory compared to the number of words they memorize without the help of pictures.

In a number of studies P.I. Zinchenko, an increase in the productivity of arbitrary memorization with age was noted. This suggests that at preschool age children begin to form mnemonic activity with specific goals and ways of its implementation. At the same time, the importance of a special study of the development of voluntary memory in preschool children is of great importance. It was this problem that was devoted to the experimental study of P.I. Zinchenko.

Involuntary memorization is not necessarily weaker than voluntary, in many cases it surpasses it. Involuntarily, material is also remembered better, which is associated with interesting and complex mental work and which is of great importance for a person.

P.I. Zinchenko and A.A. Smirnov, on the basis of many experiments, came to the conclusion that involuntary memorization is memorization without setting a goal to remember and without specially directed efforts.

The memory of a preschooler is basically involuntary. This is due to the fact that the child, as a rule, does not set himself conscious goals to remember anything. Memorization and recollection occurs independently of his will and consciousness. They are carried out in the activity and depend on its nature.

Thus, several types of memory are distinguished in the literature, each type of memory has its own functions and features. In order for memory to be productive, it is necessary to develop it from preschool age, using various techniques.

Based on the analysis of various characteristics of the concept of “memory”, we can give the following definition: memory is the ability to capture and store information, and then recognize it, without losing previous knowledge, skills and abilities.

Psychological features of memory development

memory thinking child remembering

Figurative memory artificially causes the missing sensations, supplementing the truncated information to a full-fledged image that caused it. The inclusion of all channels of perception cancels the principle "Repetition is the mother of learning." Repetition destroys what one has memorized. Nature does not repeat itself a second time.

Children's memory is rich in images of individual specific objects that were once perceived by a child: the taste of a drink and cake, the smell of tangerines and flowers, the sounds of music, a cat's fur that is soft to the touch, and the like.

During the period of keeping the image in memory, it undergoes transformations:

Simplification by omitting individual parts;

Exaggeration of individual details;

Transforming a figure into a more symmetrical and different one.

This is a figurative memory - a memory of what is perceived with the help of the senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. Therefore, figurative memory is divided into visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile.

Visual memory. The power of visual images can be stored in memory for many years. Visual memory, one of the types of memory, characterized by the fact that people who possess it more easily remember the impressions they receive through vision; so, when memorizing by heart, they achieve this faster if they themselves read than if they are read aloud, since when they transmit what they read, visual images of what they read, pages and lines on which it is written, arise in their minds. Faces or objects ever seen sometimes remain in the memory for a lifetime. The study shows that visual memory is better developed in girls than in boys. Some scientists localize visual memory on the outer surface of the occipital lobe, the destruction of which leads to a lack of recognition of objects (or the so-called mental blindness).

auditory memory. Auditory memory is a figurative memory associated with the activity of the auditory analyzer and aimed at remembering sounds: music, noises, and so on.

Olfactory memory. Olfactory memory is a figurative memory associated with the activity of olfactory analyzers. Designed to memorize smells. In humans, compared with animals, it is significantly reduced.

Taste memory, in turn, is associated with the activity of taste analyzers, and is aimed at remembering tastes.

Tactile memory is a memory that allows you to store information about the outside world.

In each person, all types are developed differently, as a rule, one or two, less often three, types of memory are most developed. For example, a person will remember this or that information better if he can read it, another - after listening to the same text. There are practically no people in whom all types of memory were developed equally well.

In modern literature, there are different points of view on the methods and ways of developing memory. For example, M. Ibuka, Acting Director of the Early Development Association and Director of Talent Education, found that children easily memorize the spelling of complex Chinese characters, such as "pigeon" or "giraffe." Unlike abstract words like "nine", a child can easily memorize words for specific objects - "giraffe", "raccoon", "fox" - no matter how difficult they are. If an adult has to make a conscious effort to memorize, then the child has a wonderful figurative memory.

This is one of the features of the child's brain - to see an object that is not in sight. Children think in pictures. M.V. Osorina believed that the ability to figuratively represent in the mind and fantasize develops in a child in ascending order from two to five years. At this age, he discovers new opportunities to double the world, presenting imaginary images on the inner mental screen. This ability gives him the ability to do things he can't do in real life.

If you constantly include games to create images in classes with a child, then this way of remembering will become familiar to the baby, images will arise without tension.

M. Abibulaeva notes: “Parents generally pay attention to a child's poor memory only when he already has problems at school. He cannot remember a simple story or verse, cannot solve a problem because it is difficult for him to imagine its solution. That is why the training of figurative memorization should take place much earlier than any difficulties arise.

V. Oaklander describes numerous studies that have reliably shown that children who are capable of playing imagination have a higher IQ, overcome difficulties more easily, and the development of imagination improves their adaptive capabilities and learning process.

L.V. Cheremoshkina, in the manual for parents and teachers "Development of Children's Memory", writes that "as psychological studies show, a preschooler remembers extremely little material. On average, out of 15 words named to him, he remembers only 2.12 words. It is safe to say that children of 3-4 years old are not yet ready to use any auxiliary means for memorization: pictures, tips, questions only prevent the child from memorizing.

The first rudiments of free memories, with which, according to P.P. Blonsky, it would be most careful to connect the beginning of figurative memory, he refers to the second year of life.

It should also be recognized as correct Blonsky's assertions that we do not yet know when images appear in children. He concluded that figurative memory appears somewhat earlier than verbal, but much later than motor and affective.

The earlier appearance of figurative memory does not mean its subsequent disappearance and replacement by verbal memory. However, figurative memory, says P.P. Blonsky, continues to remain at a lower level of memory compared to verbal. This also applies to the most developed - visual images of memory, which arise most easily when a person's consciousness is at a lower level than with full, perfect wakefulness. Visual memory can only be viewed as a low form of memory. Usually, visual memory is poor, so another, higher type of memory, story memory, is incomparably more useful.

Memory-story is, according to P.P. Blonsky, genuine verbal memory, which must be distinguished from the memorization and reproduction of speech movements, for example, when memorizing meaningless verbal material.

Representing the highest level of memory, memory-story, in turn, does not immediately appear in the most perfect forms. She goes through drinking, characterized by the main stages of the development of the story. Initially, the story is only a verbal accompaniment of the action, then it is the words accompanied by the action, and only then the verbal story appears on its own, as a living and figurative message.

These are the main provisions of the concept of P.P. Blonsky about the correlation of figurative and verbal memory in their development.

A study by N.A. Kornienko. The subjects - preschool children - were asked to memorize and then reproduce: in some cases - a number of objects (toys) that are easily divided into semantic groups (first series), in other cases - the same number of words that have a specific meaning (second series), in third - the name of trees and shrubs not familiar to children (third series).

The results of the study showed the following: 1) in all age groups, the highest indicators were obtained in experiments with memorizing objects; 2) the second place was taken by the memorization of words of a specific meaning; 3) remembering unfamiliar names was the least productive; 4) the difference between all cases of memorization decreased with age; 5) the differences between the productivity of memorizing different kinds of material in the experiments with reproduction turned out to be sharply pronounced in comparison with the experiments with recognition, and at the same time they converged significantly.

Thanks to the restructuring of mnemonic processes at preschool age, the child is able to set conscious goals for himself (remember, recall) and strives to achieve them. This drop is a complex process that includes two main steps. The first stage is the identification and allocation of a mnemonic goal by the child. At the second stage, the corresponding actions and operations are formed.

In the middle preschool age, the first attempts to apply certain techniques appear. Children can independently carry out, albeit in simple forms, the processing of material. In the experiments of Z.M. Istomina during the exercises, the children showed the ability to use certain techniques in the form of mental operations for mnemonic purposes (this increases the productivity of memorization). This makes it possible to teach the child how to remember and recall.

The upbringing of logical memory presupposes, first of all, the development of the mental activity of children - the development of the ability to analyze, highlight properties, signs, and compare in objects; carry out generalization, combining objects according to signs, classify on the basis of generalization; establish meaningful connections. Mental operations become ways of logical thinking.

During the work of L.M. Zhitnikova, Z.M. Istomina, A.N. Belousa, devoted to the study of the formation of methods of logical memorization in the conditions of special education, it was found that children can already master in the process of specially organized learning such logical memorization techniques as semantic correlation and mental grouping, and use them for mnemonic purposes.

Classification (grouping) as a way of memorization consists in using the general names of groups as a support in memorizing and reproducing their constituent elements. First, the child carries out a simple orientation in the material proposed for memorization. Then he begins to lay out the pictures into groups for and remembers what is included in each group, and when playing, he relies on the groups he himself formed.

In the process of mastering the grouping as a method of logical memorization, the children experienced difficulties. P.I. Zinchenko notes that at the first stages, many children have a bifurcation of mental and mnemonic activity. It manifests itself in the following: when performing the operation of mental grouping, children forget that they need to memorize pictures, and when they try to remember, they stop grouping. However, when this technique is mastered by children, it brings a significant mnemonic effect. L.M. Zhitnikova notes that already at the early preschool age, children show shifts in memorization due to their mastery of grouping as a cognitive action. Children of senior and middle preschool age, successfully mastering the classification, consciously use it as a way of memorizing.

Children's mastery of semantic correlation as an independent intellectual action is carried out in several stages of increasing complexity. First you need to learn how to find an identical picture to the proposed picture. After that, the children learn to find for this picture not identical, but only similar to it in content, close in meaning. At the next stage, the task becomes more complicated: for the name (word) it is necessary to select a picture with an image of an object designated by this word, and then select a picture that is close to the word in content. Z.M. Istomina emphasizes that the classes are repeated as many times as necessary for children to learn how to correctly correlate pictures.

To use the semantic correlation of words with pictures for mnemonic purposes, a condition is required: children must master well not only direct, but also reverse operations. It is important that these operations are well practiced on their own. This is a condition for the transition of a mental action into a mnemonic device.

In the process of learning semantic correlation as a method of memorization, Z.M. Istomina revealed noticeable age and individual differences. Experiments have shown that in order to form a semantic correlation as a mnemonic device for children of primary preschool age, a different number of training sessions and multiple solutions to various problems are necessary. For older preschoolers, the number of learning steps is noticeably reduced. With age, the number of semantic connections increases and the number of connections established on random associations decreases.

Before senior preschool age, connections based on association by adjacency predominate. The highest productivity of reproduction takes place when relying on semantic connections, as connections by similarity and contiguity. The lowest productivity is found in children who have established random connections. In general, the use of semantic correlation by children has a positive effect on the productivity of mnemonic activities, and the effectiveness of its use increases with age.

Thus, qualitative changes in the work of memory can occur in a relatively early period of a child's development (in the middle preschool age), but only under the condition of specially organized, purposeful training in logical memorization programs. It is advisable to simultaneously teach children various methods of logical memorization, tk. they rely on similar mental operations. Self-control also plays a significant role in increasing the productivity of memorization. The results of these studies seem to be very important in connection with the preparation of preschoolers for schooling.

The task of studying the role of the word in the development of memory was considered by B.N. Saltzman. The children were shown colored figures from the mosaic, after which the subjects had to lay out these figures from the mosaic from memory. In the first series of experiments, the examination of the figures was carried out without verbal accompaniment, in the second series - with the naming of the color, the number of colors and the location of the colors in the figures.

In the first case, younger preschoolers perceived the figures in silence, then most often they took the first parts of the mosaic that came across and laid out some kind of figure, and not what was shown to them. In contrast, in the second case, there were no people who were not able to restore the figure at all. In this series, purposeful searches for the elements of the figure were observed. The word clearly contributed to the analytical-synthetic activity of children.

Middle-aged preschoolers made extensive use of the word (and already in their speech) even in the first series of experiments. They didn't need any special stimulation.

In older preschoolers, the use of speech (and again their own) was even more significant. Unlike middle-aged preschoolers, they had a more systematic designation of what characterized the figure laid out in front of him. The posing of questions by adults had a significant influence on them in this direction (in the second series of experiments). It is also important that at a given age, not only external, but also internal speech, which preceded external action, began to play an facilitating role in memorization.

It is easy to see that the results of all works devoted to the study of the relationship of figurative and verbal memory, image and word in the processes of memorization and reproduction point to the inseparable unity of both types of memory, the unity of the sensory (objective, figurative, concrete) and verbal-logical, abstract in memorization and reproduction.

Conclusion

Memory is one of the important categories of human abilities. It is thanks to her that a person remembers important events, learns by memorizing educational material, and other things develop.

Memory is necessary for a person, since without it it is impossible to imagine the normal existence of a person. It underlies any mental phenomenon. Sensations and perceptions, thinking without the inclusion of memory in the act of cognition would be experienced by a person as having arisen for the first time, which would exclude the possibility of knowing the world and orienting in it. Memory ensures the unity and integrity of the human personality.

There are several types of memory, the development of which requires different ways, techniques and methods. It is also important to take into account the fact that each person has some kind of memory developed better, therefore, developing memory from childhood, both educators, teachers, and parents must find out what kind of memory should be emphasized so that the child is comprehensively developed.

The memory of interior designers should be well developed. First, so that projects do not repeat. Since any well-known details are easily recognized, which can lead to a scandal or a bad reputation. Secondly, the designer needs to distinguish between different areas of art (modern, baroque, classicism) so that there is no mixing of styles, which is unprofessional. Thirdly, it is important for a designer to memorize the details, interior items that can be used in their creative projects in the future.

Thus, memory is important in any professional activity. This determines the professionalism, the success of a specialist. For a designer, figurative and visual memory is especially important. Because without representation of images it is impossible to create projects. Visual memory helps to reproduce the seen details and interior items. Therefore, memory must be constantly developed, even when it seems unnecessary. Not always the development of memory is associated with any special and time-consuming exercises and tasks. Memory can be developed by memorizing favorite poems, playing sports, playing with a child or in the company of friends.

List of used sources and literature

1. Developmental and educational psychology: A textbook for ped students. in-tov / V.V. Davydov, T.V. Dragunova, L.B. Itelson. - M.: Enlightenment, 1999. - 246 p.

2. Gavrina S.E. Attention. Memory / S.E. Gavrina. - M.: Rossman-Press, 2010. - 72 p.

3. Gurin Yu.V. Game training. Memory, space, time / Yu.V. Gurin. - M.: KARO, 2004. - 64 p.

4. Zhukova O.A. The book of tasks and exercises for the development of attention and memory / O.A. Zhukov. - M.: Astrel, 2010. - 96 p.

5. Zimnyaya I.A. Pedagogical psychology: Textbook for universities. - M.: Logos, 2002. - 137 p.

6. Kulagina I.Yu. Developmental psychology / I.Yu. Kulagin. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - 376 p.

7. Mamaeva V.V. Memory / V.V. Mamaev. - M., 2010. - 32 p.

8. Mukhina V.S. Developmental psychology: developmental phenomenology, childhood, adolescence: A textbook for students. universities / V.S. Mukhin. - M.: "Academy", 2002. - 329 p.

9. Mukhina V.S. Child psychology / V.S. Mukhin. - M.: Enlightenment, 1985. - 272 p.

10. Obukhova L.F. Child psychology: theories, facts, problems / L.F. Obukhov. - M.: Trivola, 1995. - 129 p.

11. Pavlenko E.K. Memory, logic, attention / E.K. Pavlenko. - M.: Mir knigi, 2011. - 64 p.

12. Strakhov I.V. Psychology of character / I.V. Strakhov. - Saratov: SGU, 1970. - 219 p.

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Memory is a mental property of a person, the ability to accumulate, store, and reproduce experience and information. Memory: main features, individual differences. memory processes. Types of memory. Memory productivity in general and in parts. The laws of memory.

- an integrated mental reflection of a person's past interaction with reality, the information fund of his life.

The ability to store information and selectively update it, use it to regulate behavior is the main property of the brain that ensures the interaction of the individual with the environment. Memory integrates life experience, ensures the continuous development of human culture and individual life. Based on memory, a person is oriented in the present and foresees the future.

The beginning of the experimental study of memory was laid at the end of the 19th century. studies of the German psychologist G. Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), summarized in his work "On Memory" (1885). This was the first exit of a psychological experiment beyond sensory processes. G. Ebbinghaus deduced the “forgetting curve”, graphically illustrating the highest percentage of forgetting in the period immediately following the memorization of new material. At present, in connection with the actualization of the problem of machine accumulation and information retrieval, memory becomes the object of interdisciplinary research. But human memory differs from machine, electronic memory in the active-reconstructive preservation of material. Human memory is influenced by socio-cultural factors.

In the process of development, the individual increasingly focuses on the semantic, semantic connections of memorized structures. The same material is stored in memory in different ways depending on the structure of the personality, its need-motivational features. Machine memory is mechanical memory. Human memory is a value-integrated storage of information. The accumulation of material in memory (archiving) is carried out in two blocks: in the block episodic and in block semantic(semantic) memory. Episodic memory is autobiographical - it stores various episodes from the life of an individual. Semantic memory is aimed at categorical structures formed in the cultural and historical environment. It also stores all the historically formed rules for the logic of mental actions and the construction of a language.

Features of human memory

Depending on the characteristics of the memorized material, there are special ways of codifying, archiving and extracting it. The spatial organization of the environment is encoded in the form of schematic formations of semantic reference points that characterize our physical and social environment.

Sequential phenomena are imprinted in linear memory structures. Formally organized structures are imprinted associative mechanisms of memory, providing a grouping of phenomena and objects according to certain characteristics (household items, labor, etc.). All semantic meanings are categorized - they refer to different groups of concepts that are in hierarchical interdependence.

The possibility of its rapid updating and retrieval depends on the organization of the material in memory. Information is reproduced in the connection in which it was originally formed.

Many complain of a bad memory, but do not complain of a bad mind. Meanwhile, the mind, the ability to establish relationships, is the basis of memory.

The extraction of learned material from memory in order to use it in recognition, recall, and recollection is called updating(from lat. actualis - real, real). We look for the necessary material in memory in the same way as we look for the necessary thing in the pantry: by objects located in the neighborhood. Figuratively speaking, in the fund of our memory everything is hung "on hooks" of associations. The secret of a good memory is to establish strong associations. That is why people remember best what is connected with their worldly concerns, professional interests. Encyclopedic erudition in one area of ​​life can be combined with ignorance in other areas. Some facts are retained in our minds by the force of other facts well known to us. Mechanical “scratching”, “cramming” is the most inefficient way of memorizing.

The possibilities of actualization in a person are much wider than it seems to him. Difficulties in memory, rather, difficulties in reproduction than difficulties in preservation. Absolute oblivion of impressions does not exist.

The fund of human memory is plastic - with the development of personality, changes occur in the structural formations of his memory. Memory is inextricably linked with the activity of the individual - that is firmly remembered that is included in the active activity of a person, corresponds to his life strategy.

Operating System Behavior and human activity, i.e., his skills and abilities are images of optimal, adequate actions imprinted in memory. With repeated repetition of the necessary actions, unnecessary, unnecessary movements are eliminated from them, and the memory is fixed image of the optimal action, individual operations are integrated into a single functional complex.

Memory, intellect, feelings and the operational sphere of an individual are a single systemic formation.

Memory- the mental mechanism of a person's orientation both in the external and in the internal, subjective world, the mechanism of localization of events in time and space, the mechanism of structural self-preservation of the personality and its consciousness. Memory disorders mean personality disorders.

Classification of memory phenomena

Differ memory processes- memorization, preservation, reproduction and forgetting and forms of memory - involuntary (unintentional) and arbitrary (intentional).

Depending on the type of analyzers, the signaling system, or the participation of subcortical formations of the brain, there are types of memory:figurative, logical and emotional.

Figurative memory - representations - is classified by types of analyzers: visual, auditory, motor, etc.

According to the method of memorization, direct (direct) and indirect (indirect) memory are distinguished.

Relationship between memory and recall

The trace of each impression is associated with many traces of accompanying impressions. Indirect memorization and reproduction is the memorization and reproduction of a given image according to the system of connections into which the image is included - by associations. Indirect, associative emergence of images is psychologically much more meaningful than direct memorization; it brings the phenomena of memory closer to the phenomena of thinking. The main work of human memory consists of remembering and reproducing traces by associations.

There are three types of associations.

Association by adjacency. This is an elementary type of communication without significant processing of information.

Association by contrast. It is a connection between two opposite phenomena. This type of connection is already based on the logical device of opposition.

Association by similarity. Perceiving one situation, a person by association recalls another similar situation. Similarity associations require complex processing of the information received, highlighting the essential features of the perceived object, generalization and comparison with what is stored in memory. The objects of association by similarity can be not only visual images, but also concepts, judgments, and conclusions. Similarity associations are one of the essential mechanisms of thinking, the basis of logical memory.

Thus, according to the method of memorization, memory can be mechanical and associative (semantic).

Human memory systems

Consider memory systems. In any kind of activity, all memory processes are involved. But different levels of activity are associated with the functioning of various mechanisms, memory systems.

The following four interconnected memory systems are distinguished: 1) sensory; 2) short-term; 3) operational; 4) long-term.

sensory memory- a direct sensory imprint of an influencing object, a direct imprint of sensory influences, that is, the preservation of visual images in the form of a clear, complete imprint of the object's sensory influences for a very short period of time (0.25 sec). These are the so-called afterimages. They are not associated with the fixation of traces and quickly disappear. This type of memory ensures the continuity, integrity of the perception of dynamic, rapidly changing phenomena.

short term memory- direct imprinting of a set of objects in a one-act perception of the situation, fixation of objects that have fallen into the field of perception. Short-term memory provides primary orientation in a one-time perception of the situation.

The operating time of short-term memory is no more than 30 seconds. Its scope is limited to five to seven objects. However, when reproducing short-term memory images, additional information can be extracted from them.

RAM- selective preservation and updating of information necessary only to achieve the goal of this activity. The duration of working memory is limited by the time of the corresponding activity. So, we memorize the elements of a phrase in order to comprehend it as a whole, we remember certain conditions of the problem we are solving, we remember intermediate numbers in complex calculations.

The productivity of working memory is determined by the ability of a person to organize the memorized material, to create integral complexes - units of memory. Examples of the use of various blocks of operational units can be spelling, syllables, whole words or word complexes. Working memory functions at a high level if a person sees not particular, but general properties of various situations, combines similar elements into larger blocks, recodes the material into a single system. So, remembering the ABD125 number is easier in the form of 125125, i.e., recoding the letters into numbers according to the place of the letters in the alphabet.

The functioning of operative memory is associated with significant neuropsychic stress, since it requires the simultaneous interaction of a number of competing centers of excitation. When operating with objects whose state changes, no more than two variable factors can be kept in RAM.

long term memory- long-term memorization of content of great importance. The selection of information included in long-term memory is associated with a probabilistic assessment of its future applicability, foreseeing future events.

The amount of long-term memory depends on relevance information, that is, on what meaning the information has for a given individual, his leading activity.

Types of memory - individual typological features of memory

They differ in the following qualities, found in various combinations: the volume and accuracy of memorization; memorization speed; memory strength; the leading role of one or another analyzer (the predominance of visual, auditory or motor memory in a given person); peculiarities interactions of the first and second signal systems(figurative, logical and average types).

Various combinations of individual typological features give a variety of individual types of memory (Fig. 1).

There are large individual differences in the speed of memorization of material and the duration of its retention in memory. So, in the course of psychological experiments, it was found that to memorize 12 syllables, one person needs 49 repetitions, and another only 14.

An essential individual feature of memory is the focus on remembering certain material. The well-known criminologist G. Gross spoke about his father's extremely poor memory for people's names. The father could not accurately say the name of his only son, at the same time he memorized various statistical material very accurately and for a long time.

Some people memorize material directly, while others tend to use logical means. For some, memory is close to perception, for others, to thinking. The higher the level of mental development of a person, the more his memory approaches thinking. An intellectually developed person remembers mainly with the help of logical operations. But the development of memory is not directly related to intellectual development. Some people have a very developed figurative (eidetic) memory.

Rice. 1. Classification of memory phenomena

The term " memory It is used not only in psychology. We hear about the memory of computers and the corresponding units of its measurement. It turns out that under heat treatment conditions, some metal alloys can " memorize" and " reproduce» your form. However, here we are talking at best about the technical modeling (by the way, very incomplete) of human memory. The memory that we have to study should also be distinguished from species memory, thanks to which, according to biological laws (and not psychological ones), any organism is recreated - from a plant to a person. In other words, it is a genetic program by which an organism inherits the essential features of its ancestors. Instinctive behavior is also a realization of species memory resources. The subject of psychology is the individual memory of a person (and similar memory of an animal) as one of the most important regulators of his behavior and activities.

Memory- this is a cognitive mental process, which consists in remembering, saving and subsequent reproduction by a person (or animal) of his experience under the influence of life circumstances. Memory is "a process that is a product of the previous and a condition for the upcoming action (process, experience)." The last point is important to emphasize: memory only makes sense in the context of using the experience in the future.

The work of memory creates conditions for the assimilation of knowledge by a person and their use in new conditions, for the development of speech, the development of thinking and imagination. Outside of this work neither learning nor teaching is possible. What would happen if the images of objects and phenomena that arise in the psyche (consciousness) immediately disappeared without a trace? A person, in the words of I.M. Sechenov, would remain "forever in the position of a newborn."

Synonymous with " memory"can be considered a word of Greek origin -" mnema”, easily associated with the name of the goddess of memory and the nine muses Mnemosyne. This explains the widespread use in psychology of such concepts as " mnemonic function" (memory function), " mnemonic task"(memorization task)," mnemonics" or " mnemonics"(a set of memorization techniques), etc.

The oldest theory of memory is the association theory. If impressions arise in consciousness simultaneously or immediately after each other, then a connection (association) arises between them. Subsequently, the actualization in the mind of any one of the elements of the connection entails the reproduction of other elements. From Aristotle comes the distinction of associations by similarity (having met a person, you can remember another, something similar to him), by contrast (a student listening to a story about the Sahara desert inadvertently “pops up” in his memory previously formed ideas about the Arctic), according to adjacency (a few months after attending the concert, a person heard a song on the radio that was then performed, and immediately remembered a friend whom he met during the intermission). In this case, we are talking about the contiguity of events in space and time. Later, generic, causal, generalized and other associations became the subject of research.

The doctrine of associations helps to understand many phenomena related to the mental activity of a person and his thinking. Of course, associative processes are of great importance in educational activities, in the assimilation and reproduction of educational material. However, the doctrine of associations should be distinguished from associationism, in the classical version of which the concept of associations became the explanatory principle of the entire cognitive sphere of man.

With the development of the natural sciences, the physiological mechanisms of memory began to be revealed. In particular, researchers were attracted by electromechanical changes in synapses (in areas where nerve cells contact each other) during the passage of a nerve impulse through a group of neurons, as well as the fact that an impulse passes through the same synapses multiple times. In this fact, the process of consolidating the memory trace was seen as a mechanism for transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory. There is also a "chemical hypothesis" of memory - about the role of RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecules in mnemic processes. It is assumed that these processes are associated with a change in the sequence of bases in these molecules.

These and other similar studies do not always lead to results that are consistent with each other, which should probably be considered natural on the way to the formation of a unified theory of memory.

Human memory is an amazing gift that nature has given to people. Thanks to it, we can accumulate life experience and subsequently use it for our own benefit. A person deprived of memory is helpless in this world, because every moment will be a discovery for him, but it will bring benefit and satisfaction. There are situations in which a person's memory deteriorates: we forget what happened recently. The disease may develop due to an earlier pathology in life. But if you have a poor memory from birth, do not worry: it can be developed.

What it is?

Human memory is considered as a subject of study within the framework of psychology. This is a person's ability to accumulate and store information. On the other hand, in psychology, memory is defined as the ability to reproduce experiences, emotions from the past, to recall the former location of an object, etc. But most importantly, memory allows us to store the accumulated information about this world.

We know that the brain consists of two hemispheres. Thus, memory is studied not only in psychology, but also within the framework of physiology. It contains over 20 billion interconnected cells. The right hemisphere is responsible for emotions, feelings, and the left for logical thinking. However, until now, scientists do not know exactly where a person's memory is located and how the stored information is memorized.

To determine what kind of memory a person has and why it is needed, indicators should be derived according to the following characteristics of this property. The general characteristics and classification of memory in the field of psychology will depend on the parameters. Here are their main types, characteristics and general classification:

• Volume. It is very difficult to measure the total memory capacity of an adult, since in life we ​​use only 4-10% of our brain resources. On average, the capacity of short-term memory can be 7 units of information. However, human capabilities are much greater, as they say in psychology. Researcher L.I. Kupriyanovich calculated that the amount of human memory is 125 million megabytes or more. But only 1% of humanity uses its memory to its fullest extent. Such people are considered geniuses. For example, Mozart could listen to a piece of music only once and then write down its score without errors. Alexander the Great could call all his warriors by name. But the amazing thing is that the memory capacity of any person allows you to show the same phenomenal abilities.
• Memory speed. Depends on the degree of memory training. It is different for all people.
• Accuracy. It depends on how correctly a person can reproduce the facts that he has memorized.
• duration. Some people remember quickly, but remember for a short time, while others for a lifetime. The duration of memory is also individual. It should also be borne in mind that there are different types of memory for the duration of information storage. Short-term memory is a type that allows you to remember information for a short time. Long-term memory as a species is different in that it allows you to remember information for a long time, sometimes for a lifetime. Depending on which memory a person uses and trains more, this type determines the duration of memorization.
• Ready to reproduce. Sometimes it happens that a person taught, experienced, remembered, but at the right moment he cannot remember the already known facts. There is memory, but it does not reproduce events. Thus, its role in human life seems to be reduced to nothing.

Main types

There are main types of memory depending on the characteristics:

• Classification by the nature of the goal: arbitrary and involuntary. Using involuntary memory, we remember automatically. With the participation of arbitrary memory, it is necessary to make efforts, to apply the will.
• Classification according to the method of memorization and the nature of mental activity: motor (or kinetic), emotional, figurative, visual, auditory, tactile, verbal-logical and logical. These types of memory correspond to a certain way of remembering: with the help of movements, words, logical calculations, visual perception, images, etc.

Special mention should be made of such basic types of memory as short-term and long-term. Short-term memory is characterized by information stored for 20 seconds. Memorization occurs after a brief perception of an object or information. The most important thing is remembered, but with the aim of reproduction in the future, which is the role of this species.

The amount of short-term memory is very individual. According to scientists, this is 7-9 units. However, today's scientists say that this parameter is too exaggerated. And we should talk about 3-4 units. This is where the replacement process takes place. If short-term memory fills up, new information replaces previous information, causing some of the previously learned information to disappear. For example, the surname and first names of many people with whom we used to know are leaving and being replaced by new ones. If you want to keep them in your memory, you need to make an effort of will.

What are the functions and purpose of short-term memory, it is not difficult to guess. It is necessary to process a huge amount of information that arrives daily. The unnecessary is immediately removed, as a result, a person can avoid overloading the brain.

The functions and purpose of long-term memory are directly opposite. Long-term memory stores information indefinitely. But in order to retain a certain amount of information for a long time, the necessary information must be constantly reproduced. There is a direct relationship between the preservation of information and its reproduction. Since much information is remote from the present moment, it is necessary to make sure that they are always “at hand”. Only in this way will long-term memory be able to preserve them.

There is another type of memory - operational. Its functions and purpose are to store information for a certain period of time, limited by the task. If the task is completed and the information is no longer needed, it is deleted. For example, a student who is studying material for an exam will remember little of what they learned after passing. This is due to the action of RAM: the task was completed, the information was deleted.

The laws

The general characterization and classification of memory will be incomplete without mentioning its basic laws. They help people improve memory by using some patterns. This is their role and purpose:

• Interest. Everything that is remembered, a person should be interesting.
• Making sense. For an adult and a child, it is important how deeply the problem is considered.
• Installation. If a person has set himself the goal of assimilating the amount of information. He will definitely do it.
• Action. If knowledge is used practically, memorization is accelerated. Practice plays a big role in memory processes.
• Context. The new is learned in context with the old information.
• Braking. The new information overlaps the old.
• Optimal row length. This is a series of objects or phenomena that need to be remembered. The row should not exceed the amount of short-term memory.
• Edge. The features of memory are such that what is remembered better is what is at the beginning and at the end.
• Repetition. If information is repeated several times, it will be remembered better. Incompletion. If the action is not completed, the phrase is left unsaid, it will be better remembered.

To increase the amount of memory and memorability, it is enough to know these laws and apply them to your own benefit.

Processes

A general description of memory in the field of psychology mentions the processes of memory. Here are the main ones, their classification and characteristics:

• Memorization. It consists in comprehending, capturing, perceiving and experiencing new elements. The main thing to remember is to establish the relationship between the elements and link them into one.
• Storage. These features of memory allow you to save the received material, process it and master it. Thanks to the stored information, a person manages to navigate in the environment and not lose the experience gained. Long-term memory is responsible for this, which is its role and purpose.
• reproduction and recognition. These features allow you to remember the information at the right time and apply it in practice. In reality, a previously seen object or phenomenon is recognized and related by the brain to events from past experience.
• Forgetting. This is a loss of playback capability. The functions and purpose of forgetting are not to overload the brain and periodically clear it of unnecessary information.

These basic functions determine the ability of memory to retain information for some time.

The general characteristic of memory distinguishes several more of its varieties. This classification is associated with a different orientation of memory:

• Visual - its role in our life is to store visual images.
• Motor - its role is to remember previous physical actions.
• Episodic - can be long-term, but is mainly associated with episodes from our lives.
• Semantic - can also be long-term, but is associated with knowledge of facts or verbal meanings. It is thanks to her that the multiplication table is kept in our memory all our lives.
• Procedural is knowledge about how to perform some actions, or, more simply, algorithms.
• Topographic - allows you to navigate in space and remember the places we have already been.

The general characteristics and classification of memory allowed scientists to develop some exercises to develop and increase its volume.

Basic mnemonic techniques and exercises

Techniques and exercises developed by scientists allow you to develop memory and increase its volume. Here are some of these exercises:

• Try to remember the initial letters in the phrase, and then reproduce it using them.
• Compose poems.
• Remember terms and long words using consonant familiar words.
• Connect figurative associations.
• Train your visual memory by memorizing images.
• Memorize numbers using patterns or familiar dates and combinations.

This simple general scheme of exercises will quickly develop memory of various types.

Why can memory deteriorate?

There are many people who suffer from memory disorders of various kinds. We know that memory impairment can occur after a serious illness, as a result of injury or with age. Sclerosis (blockage of cerebral vessels), neurological diseases, skull injuries, congenital malformations of the nervous system and brain affect the quality of memorization.

If the memory disorder is caused by a disease, it is necessary to undergo medical treatment. Only after that it can be partially restored, although doctors never give an exact guarantee.

Age-related changes in the body also do not add health. To keep all types of memory “alive”, you need to constantly train them. For this purpose, crosswords, board games, riddles, Japanese puzzles are perfect. Exercise is very beneficial for children.

How can memory be improved?

In addition to the mentioned mnemonics techniques, there are many ways to improve memory and increase its volume. Here is a general outline of what needs to be done to improve memory:

• Don't be lazy. Memory must be constantly trained, otherwise there will be no result.
• If you forgot something, do not try to immediately look into a book or reference book. Try to remember on your own.
• When reading books, then try to retell the content to someone close, naming all, even the most insignificant heroes. Do not lose sight of the small events in the book.
• Learn by heart verses, the order of numbers (for example, telephones). If you have a child who is in school, you can play a race with him: who will learn the poem faster.
• Work with numbers more often, solve problems. Mathematics has a great effect not only on logical thinking, but also on memory.
• Try to always learn something new and reproduce information after a while. See how soon your memory improves.
• Recall the events of the previous day, what happened a week ago. Such training will quickly increase memory capacity and force short-term memory to translate information into long-term memory.
• Learn languages. In addition to benefiting your own mental development, you will also benefit your memory. Learn at least 6-7 new words per day from any language in the world.
• Be positive. Do not think that you are constantly forgetting something. Think that you remember everything, and you really do.
• Perceive information with all senses. If you need to remember something, come up with associations. It can be a smell, a taste, a picture, an action that is associated with an event or an object. Subsequently, remembering the association, you will be able to restore the necessary information in memory.
• Solve logical problems. Although puzzles improve thinking processes, they also have a beneficial effect on memory processes.
• Table. This is a proven way to train attention, memory and observation. In it, numbers from 1 to 20 are collected and scattered in a different order and written in different fonts. The task is to remember them or find them in a certain amount of time.

The quality of the types of memory is greatly influenced by the daily routine that you adhere to. There are several rules for organizing the regime that will always keep an excellent memory:

• Get good sleep. Lack of sleep contributes to the disorder of memory and thinking. Full sleep should be at least 7-8 hours.
• Go in for sports, walk more often. Fresh air, physical exercises promote blood flow to the brain, improve blood circulation, increase memory capacity.
• Have breakfast. You can not memorize information on an empty stomach. The brain needs food, because it consumes up to 20% of the total energy of the body.
• Fall in love. Love relationships, even just being in love, sharpen feelings, including memory.
• Get rid of the routine. Repeating the same actions daily dulls the memory. Try to change something in your life. In psychology, it is argued that even the smallest changes improve a person's condition. So, if you traditionally start your day with a cup of coffee, try replacing it with juice or another drink now. What changes can sharpen the senses.
• Eat right. There are foods that help improve memory. For example, a mint leaf put in tea, soy, citrus fruits are great foods to stimulate your memory.
• Play computer games occasionally. Here it is worth emphasizing the word "sometimes", since their passion does not negatively affect the psyche. However, 1-2 puzzle games per week will not hurt.
• Listen to music. Everything that awakens our senses affects our memory. Music most of all can awaken emotions in us. It is thanks to her that we can improve our thinking.
• Take life with interest. We remember what interests us. If a person is indifferent to everything, then the memory stops working. Live with interest, then it will have something to remember.

Memory is a great gift of nature and it must be protected. Keep your memory, and you will have a rich and vibrant life until the end of days.