Recalling Long Term Memories:
Sometimes people try to remember
one’s name, convinced that they knew it but were unable to recall despite all
efforts. This is a very commonly faced issue among general public. Often people
wonder why such things occur in their life. They wonder whether is it them or
does this happens to everybody. Well no person needs to worry, as this happens
to everyone. This is a fleeting failure of remembrance.
Such a happening is known as the tip of the tongue experience. In this experience
a person fails to recall the information he had in his own mind not so long
ago. It could be also called short term memory loss. Memory is an interesting
subject. A few films have been made on this subject. The Hollywood movie which
was made on this subject was “Memento”. It was a hit and successful venture.
Many other countries have tried their hand at making films related to movies.
The Indian version of the Memento was known as Gajni. This movie was also a
great hit. So it shows that the general public is interested in knowing about
the complex ways human mind’s work. Hence for future work or study memory is
potentially as good subject. One could have lots of options if he understands
the way human mind works. One could use this ability positively as well as
negatively.
The depth of information processing during exposure to material, the degree to
which it is analyzed and considered is critical. At times memories are of
specific importance or supervising events are so vivid that they are like a
snapshot of an event and can be called “flash bulb memories.”
The eye witness dilemma:
The way the lawyers or the
concerned authorities put up the question to the eye witness is a very
manipulating one. It often happens that the eye witness have recalling problems
as they are put under pressure. These tactics are often used by the good
lawyers. By going through such rigorous questioning, the eye witness than himself
starts to question the validity of self memory. This is how often criminals are
set free from the court of law. The judge has to make sure that such happenings
do not occur frequently. The lawyer who has called the eye witness can object
to the judge when he feels that the opponent lawyer is putting undue pressure
on the eye witness. In the modern world witness protection laws are also
present, which help the witness to get speak up freely without undue pressure.
An eye witness should only focus on the criminal and should not worry about his
or her own future. Often dangerous criminals are not hanged because the eye
witnesses fail to give creditable information or vow. This is where the memory
of the eye witness is highly important.