There is no such thing as memory in the sense of something that can be seen, touched or weighed. Memory is an abstraction referring to a set of skills rather than to an object. Neither is there a single standard for judging a good or poor memory. There are a number of different ways in which a person may have a 'good' memory. Memory is generally viewed as consisting of three stages
(1) Acquisition refers to learning the material;
(2) Storage refers to keeping the material in the brain until it is needed; and
(3) Retrieval refers to getting the material back out when it is needed.
These three stages may be viewed the 4 R's of Remembering, Recording, Retaining and Retrieving. Memory consists of at least two different processes: short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory has a limited capacity and rapid forgetting rate. Its capacity can be increased by chunking, or grouping separate bits of information into larger chunks. Long-term memory has a virtually unlimited capacity. One measure of memory is recall. In aided recall, cues help to produce information. A second measure of memory is recognition in which one must be able to identify it when it is presented. In a third measure of memory, relearning, the difference between how long it took to learn the material the first time and how long it takes to learn it again indicated how much one can remember. There are several explanations of why we forget. Passive-decay theory says that learning causes a physical 'trace' in the brain that decays with time. Repression theory says that we purposely push unpleasent memories into unconscious mind.
Systematic-distortion theory says that our memories may be distracted by our values and interests. Inference theory says that forgetting is due to problems in retrieving the information, and that we can remember almost anything, if given right cues.
Which one of the following is not a measure of memory?
