Sadie Martinez

PSY 1010
Salini
November 30, 2014
Noteworthy Education

When coming into this course I was just expecting it to be basic general information of
psychology. How it originated, what it does, and how psychologist determine illnesses. This
course was much more than just basic information. It provided in depth ideas and concepts. From
the father of Psychology, Wilhelm Wundt (King, 2012), and Personality Theories, to
Psychological Disorders, the most valued thing I learned in this course would have to be how our
memory works. We explored what memories really are, types of memories, and how it can be
applied to our lives.
When we hear the word memory we tend to think or imagine of a vivid time or situation
in the past that might have had an impact on you. According to Laura King, a memory is a
retention of information or experience over time as the result of three key processes: encoding,
storage, and retrieval (2012). All three steps are very important in order to remember and be
able to have a memory of someone, place, or thing. If not encoded properly you can later have a
blurred or unclear memory of what really occurred. If you do not storage the information
properly then that will create a problem when trying to retrieve the memory. In order to have a
clear and vivid memory, once must have to do all three steps properly.
When I say we have to encode, Im basically saying we have to be able to process that
information into our brains properly. This can be done many ways. The one that has helped me
the most throughout this course was elaboration. In a scientifically term elaboration is the
information of a number of different connections around a stimulus at any given level of memory
encoding (King, 2012). When I first read that definition I had no idea what is was trying to say.

After it was explained in laymans term in class I then knew what that term meant. What it meant
to me was that when encoding something you should try to make connections to that subject and
make it a more personal view. For example, when studying for our first exam I could not
remember the father of psychology. I kept thinking it was Sigmund Freud. What had helped me
form a memory of Wilhelm Wundt was when learning about him in the class lecture the
instructor had said his name in like a German accent. I then tied that connection with from one of
my favorite TV shows, American Horror Story, were in a scene they yelled out a certain name in
German accent. I will admit the connection I made can be seen as silly or mindless, but because
of that connection I made I will never forget the name of the father of Psychology, Wilhelm
Wundt.
When learning about how to storage the information, one of the most interesting things I
learned was that there are so many different types of memories! From explicit memory, episodic
memory, semantic memory, and procedural memory to implicit memory. When a person thinks
of a memory we just think of a time in the past. We dont necessary stop and think well what
type of memory is that? It has to do with grandpas story telling so is it episodic memory or
explicit memory? Just the fact that there are types of memories really fascinated be when
learning about memory.
Probably the most asked question when in school is When am I ever going to use this in
real life? After learning what memory really was and how you can improve your memory and
how it works best for you, you can use this in everyday life! From school, to work, and even
home you can always have room for better memory. Learning about how memory can be
worked to fit your situation has helped me tremendously in school. Especial with all my exams. I
can now study and not waste 3 or 5 hours studying without any purpose. I know what how brain

and my memory works best and I can know study more effectively for all my tests and courses.
Along with many things learned in this course I have to say that learning about memory has been
the most significant thing I learned.

References
King, L.A. (2012) Experience psychology: Memory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
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