Memory A Way of Knowing

MemoryA Way of KnowingTable of ContentsKnowing from MemoryMemory and IntuitionSuggestibilityTraumaForgettingPersonal testimony/shared recordAOKReliabilityKnowledge IssueActivity

Knowing from MemoryDef. The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.Carrier of knowledge gained; our skills, through past experiences, knowledge developed formally ( e.g in school) or informally through our lives.Memory can create :Personal Identity, opinions ( e g how we see the world)Types of knowledge in memoryProcedural memory:

knowledge of skills;playing the guitar,riding a bike

-> memories we don't consciously recallDeclarative memory:

facts and events

1. semantic memory: based on information

2. episodic memory: based on experiences in time and place

Memory and IntuitionCommon BiasesDef. The ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.'I knew it all along-> Conspiracy Theory

Confirmation bias

Hindsight bias

Consistency bias

Suggestibility of MemoryMemory can entirely be created by suggestion unreliableMemories from your early life based on photographs or storiesMemories can be recalled by sense perceptionEmotional connection helps rememberHindering reoccurring traumatic memoriesMemory, sense perception and emotion: Trauma

ForgettingAutomatic mechanism for protectionMemory decay (Decay theory)Positive Role(willful forgetting and to free up space)Negative Role(unwanted forgetting and unable to forget)

Memory Loss:Amnesia

Causes:Physical TraumaEmotional TraumaDrugs

Personal Testimony

Single memoryNo further evidenceShared Record

Pooled memoriesVarious perspectivesGathered evidence

Memory and KnowledgeCollective/sharedGenerations (passing on)SocietyAdding and changing informationMemory and Language

Past --- Today -----

How reliable is your memory?Memory is a constructive, dynamic and selective process.Stages of Memory Acquisition RetentionRetrievalDenialDistortingFalsely imaginedAdded informationContaminationRe-ThinkingKnowing from memoryWitness Testimony(Knowledge Issue)How reliable is eyewitness testimony?How reliable is your memory?Why is it not reliable enough?How can the testimony be influenced?Three stages of memory: *acquisition *retention *retrieval

Memory is knowledge from the past. It is not necessarily knowledge about the past.' -Avishar Margalit

The End