Essay - Traumatic Long-term Memory Abstract This Paper Examines the Topic of...

Traumatic Long-Term Memory

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This paper examines the topic of Traumatic Long-Term Memory and related issues of forgetfulness. The differentiation of current competing ********** under review regarding Traumatic Long-Term Memory are explored ***** critiqued. This research ***** also explains the differences between the theories and their positive / negative contributions toward improving human memory.

Introduction

Long-Term ***** is memory that has been consolidated or stored so that it is available after distraction (Long, 1996). It represents the storehouse of information that has been con*****lidated and made relatively permanent. Although the limbic system is the essential structure initiating consolidation, ***** actual memory stores are throughout the nervous *****. Their location is a function of the brain structures involved in processing the information (Long, 1996).

Receptors to projection cortex have very little storage capability as ********** are used to process all information for that modality and thus are subject to interference. The sensory association cortex ***** more important for, at this level, p*****terns of neurons can be unique ***** selectively ***** information with less interference (Long, 1996). Specifically, *****-Term memory and Short-Term ***** are not separate entities but highly interdependent; both contri*****e ***** the other.

Currently, there are several competing ***** relating to the cognitive phenomena ***** Traumatic Long-Term Memory. ***** *****ories examined in this paper will be: The Decay Theory, The Disuse **********, The Interference Theory, The Motivated Forgett*****g Theory, and the False Memory Syndrome Theory.

Theories of Traumatic Long-Term Memory

The Theory of *****

One theory is the Theory of Decay, which suggests ***** sensory impressions and acquired knowledge ***** facts leave memory traces in the brain, which gradually fade causing the loss of ***** ***** (Pettijohn, 1998). This theory states that information retained will eventually ***** lost as the person ages; ***** amount of time it takes to forget is entirely dependant on the individual (Pettijohn, 1998).

The Theory of Disuse

Bjork & Bjork's ***** of ***** suggests that decay occurs not because of ***** but ***** of the inability to associate or use ***** information with any other information. Bjork and ***** believe that the memory *****, if used constantly or associated ***** ***** information, will not begin to ***** and the ***** could be retrieved easily (Bjork ***** Bjork, 1992).

***** the Theory of Decay and the Theory of Disuse explain why information is forgotten. However, nei*****r theories factor in Long-Term *****, meaning they do not ***** why people can recall ***** from their childhood but forget something ***** occurred only a few days ago (Brown, 1976).

Although the Theory ***** ***** and ***** Theory of Disuse are generally the same except for the causes of loss, decay is more widely believed by many people in today's societies (Pettijohn, 1998).

The Theory of *****

Benton Underwood's Theory of Interference states that once in*****mation is properly encoded ***** stored in long-term memory the ********** is relatively permanent; however, because of interference we are unable to retrieve the information at one time but at another (Underwood, *****).

The two