Introduction
Memory is an interesting subject of research, as it includes a variety of topics that explain how people think and store information. Therefore, choosing two articles to study that directly deal with such a subject allows demonstrating both the current trends in memory research and the development of some of the authors mentioned by King (219). Learning from studies and reflecting on them may help increase awareness of the ongoing research directions within the psychology community.
Modern Studies: Research by Holt and Delvenne
Short-term memory is the topic that is deeply relevant to storing information on a scale that permits recalling it only for a brief period. Holt and Delvenne present a research paper on the effect of rehearsing on memorization, stating that there is a connection between “spatial” attention, repetition, and short-term memory (59). Their research deals with conducting four different experiments that aim to show the effect of cues on the process of remembrance (Holt and Delvenne 55). Thus, it is possible to discuss the significant influence of positioned clues when rehearsing and repeating information.
Modern Studies: Research by Amso and Serif
Visual attention is another important aspect of memory that allows concentrating on data and recalling it later. Also and Scerif discuss the effect of focusing on remembrance, stressing the “interplay of genetic and environmental influences on visual attention mechanisms,” which has an impact on the storage of information (616). Therefore, their paper may be relevant to a great variety of topics within memory research, with links to studies that deal with attention deficiency.
Lessons Learnt
Both chosen articles deal with the concept of memory and how using various tools and approaches may help to improve it. However, in addition to this, Amso and Scerif urge that improving memory is not the process that is achieved by memorization alone but instead requires a joint effort of different human actions (615). The findings of Holt and Delvenne also partially support this statement by demonstrating that experiment results vary when different cues are used (54). These conclusions may successfully connect the two different research papers.
Conclusion
While memory, attention, and rehearsal may seem automatically connected, there are varieties of different supporting acts that help them achieve their effect. Recognizing that there may be a minimal number of processes, which do not affect others, is an essential part of carrying out research. This understanding makes important finding not only the cause and effect of results but also possible connections between those actions that may seem not relevant.
Works Cited
Amso, Dima, and Gaia Scerif. “The Attentive Brain: Insights from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 16, no. 10, 2015, pp. 606-619. Web.
Holt, Jessica L., and Jean-Francois Delvenne. “A Bilateral Advantage for Maintaining Objects in Visual Short Term Memory.” Acta Psychologica, vol. 154, 2015, pp. 54-61. Web.
King, Laura A. The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View. 4th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.