Episodic memory, what is it

Memory is one of the most studied processes in the field of psychology. It is a concept that over the years has increased its theoretical corpus and have been finding new discoveries. The Episodic memory It belongs to one of these findings that, thanks to experimental psychology, today we can know what it consists of.

Memory is not just about remembering a face or phone number. It is also involved in speech, since if we do not remember the words it would be impossible to communicate. Even in something as simple as eating. Some patients with very advanced Alzheimer have to feed them because they forget how to do it. Hence Memory is more complex and more extensive than you think at first.

Content

• Who has not happened?
• Placing episodic memory
• Description of Episodic Memory
• Final reflection
  • Bibliography

Who has not happened?

It's 08:00 in the morning. We are facing the mirror. We look down. We do not go through a good moment. Observing our reflection we remember better moments. We remember people who were by our side and are no longer. Friends who left, couples who left us, relatives who died. We relive all those moments with intensity. Nostalgia invades us, memory, and we come a little down. Let's go to the kitchen, prepare coffee and load energy to face a new day.

For a few minutes we have reviewed almost all our life. We have made a tour from better times to the present. And we do it without leaving a relevant detail. We are able to remember and analyze all the episodes of our life. Without a doubt, we are using our memory. Thanks to her we can have our entire life stored in our minds. But what kind of memory are we using? Let's see it.

Placing episodic memory

Memory is not a unique process although it may seem. Rather it is a memory system or memories processes that act together. These processes allow us Acquire information, store and recover it When we require it. Sherry and Schacter (1987) define memory as "An interaction between acquisition, retention and recovery mechanisms".

Since memory began to be studied, it has distinguished between long -term memory and short -term memory. Since episodic memory is located in the long -term memory, we will enter it and it is classified into two systems: Implicit memory (or not declarative) and explicit memory (or declarative).

"Memory is a cognitive function that allows the human being to register the different information that reaches the brain, store them and use them when necessary" -Markowitsch-

On the one hand, the implicit or non -declarative memory It is one in which the ability to remember is carried out without the need for consciousness. Its effects are observed through the improvement in the execution of the tasks that we practice. On the other hand, explicit or declarative memory results from a conscious reflection of previous or knowledge experiences. In this type of memory we consciously access its contents.

Schacter and Tulving (1994) within the declarative memory distinguished two types: Episodic memory and semantic memory. Tulving (1972) described the semantic memory as "Knowledge about words and concepts". The Episodic memory He defined it as "The conscious knowledge of temporarily dated events or episodes, spatially and personally experienced".

Description of Episodic Memory

Entering fully into the Episodic memory different authors claim that it reflects a specific aspect temporal space that integrates sensory, cognitive and emotional images. However, Tulving also highlights the union of subjective time, the Autonotics consciousness and the need for the existence of an self. For Tulving, without a doubt, the most important aspect of this memory is The autonotics that allows us to have the feeling that we are living our memories, that is, we experience the events again. Tulving says that we travel mentally back in time.

"Episodic memory refers to the memory of specific facts that occurred in our lives with temporary and contextual references". -Tulving-

Episodic memory is studied through tasks of free recognition or memory. In this type of task the subject must study, for example, a series of words in a certain context so that it later remembers or recognizes the information presented in that context. Neuroimaging studies (head and nyberg, 2000) show that the right prefrontal cortex is related to episodic recovery.

However, this autobiographical memory can be affected in Alzheimer's patients. This PUEde look at the difficulty acquiring new episodic knowledge and is attributed to the hippocampus disconnection and sensory analysis systems. Patients with this advanced disease are unable to remember past events and relive them. Phrases like "I don't remember living it", They highlight the inability to revive past events. They can no longer travel mentally to the past.

Final reflection

Despite all scientific advances and all research at the brain level, much remains to be discovered. The brain is still a great enigma. Little by little, light is shed on the different mental processes that allow us to move through life and remember who we are when we look at the mirror.

However, although there is still a lot of research ahead, it is known that the brain is a muscle. What does this mean? That can be trained. Therefore, if we strengthen our brain through different activities we can avoid early deterioration. Walk, do sports, read, learn a new language, learn to play an instrument, etc. Any stimulating activity will keep our brain young and in this way we will slow down natural aging.

Episodic memory, your brain's time machine

Bibliography

• Aguado-Aguilar, l. (2001). Learning and memory. Neurology Magazine, 32, 373-381.
• Bass, t., Sources, l., Lupiáñez J. And Rueda, R. (2016). Mind and brain: from experimental psychology to cognitive neuroscience. Editorial Alliance.
• Schacter, d., Tulving, e. (1994). What are the memory systems of 1994? In
  Eds., Memory Systems. Cambridge, Ma: Mit Press, 1-38.
• Sherry, d., F., Schacter, d.L., (1987). The Evolution of Multiple Memory Systems.
  Psychological Review, 94, 439-454
• Tulving, e. (1972). Episodic and Semantic Memory. Jan. Tulving, and W. Donaldson
  (EDS.) Organization of Memory New York: Plenum. 381-403.