Our memory tends to be altered if it is not used. The memory disorders are common after a certain age, especially when memory fails to exercise regularly, as in the case of some retired people to a still young age, leaving a large part of professional activities related to memory and it goes altering as age advances.
On the other hand, some pathological processes such as the onset of senile dementia or depressive disorders in elderly people can substantially affect memory, leading to a considerable loss of memory. Therefore, in the event of deterioration correlated with age or in early phases of dementia, it is the most appropriate time to begin the prevention, And especially stimulation o rehabilitation thereof.
So far we have used the term "memory" but do we really know what it is and how it works? From cognitive psychology, memory is not only a data warehouse that serves to recognize and remember perceptions, personal emotions and past events, but also the cognitive mechanism that allows the construction of meanings, problem solving and decision making. Without memory, we would not be able to see, hear, think or would own identity.
There are many theories about the types of memory, but the memory model that has had the most influence in recent years is that proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin, and from which it is argued that there are three types of memory: sensory memory, short memory term and long term memory. First, the information crosses our senses (eyes, ears, nose ...) to reach the sensory memory. In less than a second this information either disappears or goes to the short term memoryWhere you can stay around about 20 seconds, unless the information is repeated mentally. Do not go away at this stage, it will address the long term memory, where the information would be maintained more durably. This large warehouse would contain all our knowledge about the world, about our own experiences and about the necessary procedures to perform many tasks.
As we see, memory is a very broad and complex concept that needs to be understood in order to prevent or simply maintain our cognitive functions at an optimal level of functioning.
Verónica Monsonís Far
Psychologist
Master in Clinical Psychology
No. col. CV08093
Phone: 639.647.656
