The Seven Sins of Memory

Our memory is a vital part of what makes us human. However, it’s far from perfect. Here are seven “sins” of memory that can be identified and how can we learn to identify them.”Memory, for all that it does for us every day, can also be a troublemaker”

Sins of omission and sins of commission

There are seven major categories of memory quirks being investigated by psychologists

Bias

Our memory can retrospectively distorted by our current knowledge, beliefs, and feelings

The seven penances of memory

The seven “sins” of memory should not necessarily be seen as failures, but as byproducts of well-working mechanisms supporting our memory processes.

• Obtain information quickly after an event, when it is fresh in people’s minds
• Use a prioritized task list
• Take notes from important events, including meeting minutes
• Record important events and milestones daily. Use neutrally worded questions when soliciting information
• Understand the basis or perspective of the person providing the information. Understand the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Misattribution

“Memory is also characterized by sins of commission: Situations in which some form of memory is present, but is misattributed to an incorrect time, place, or person”

Transience

This is the general deterioration of memory over time.

Suggestibility

Our memory is also vulnerable to incorporation of misinformation due to leading questions or active deception from other people

Persistence

Sometimes, we’d rather forget, but our brain is not letting go of the memory.

• Persistence causes the unwanted recall of information that feels disturbing, such as a traumatic experience, or even just a past mistake or embarrassing moment. This sin of memory can lead to the development of chronic fears and phobias.

Absent-mindedness

When we have lapses of attention, we forget what we were just planning on doing, or where we left an object.

• The problem can arise both at the encoding stage (when a memory is formed) and at the retrieval stage (the memory is accessed) of our brain.

Blocking

Blocking happens when the brain tries to retrieve information, but another memory interferes with it.

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