Memory is thought of as a thing, as a filing system, as a library, as a computer database. But memory is far more complex than that. Memory is about ourselves. About who we are. About what we want. It's about the experiences that shaped us, about our dreams and fantasies, about the people we know, about our hopes for the future. .
You are your memory. How could it simply be a database?.
Your memory for the future (your friend's birthday, your dentist's appointment, your need for more milk, etc) works differently from your memory for someone's face, your memory for your own past, your memory for facts, your memory for a skill like driving a car. Once we realize that memory is a system of domains - working with different types of information in different ways - we have made a tremendous step forward in understanding memory and in being able to use it more effectively.
Everyday memory encompasses the various memory domains and strategies that we use in the daily round. Our memory for future actions and events. Our memory for people. Our memory for our own past. Our memory for cognitive and physical skills.
The domains of memory .
Memory is not a "thing". You cannot simply "improve your memory", you can improve your memory skills in particular areas. .
Different types of information are processed by different types (domains) of memory. .
Different domains process information in different ways, and therefore require different strategies. .
Understanding the various domains of memory will help you match memory strategies appropriately to different memory tasks. .
"I'm terrible at remembering names" .
"I'm great with names, but I'm hopeless at remembering what I've read.".
"I always remember what people tell me about themselves, but I'm always forgetting birthdays and anniversaries.".
There is no such thing as a poor memory! .
There will be memory domains that you are less skilled at dealing with.
Information comes in different packages .