The 7 sins of memory, according to Daniel Schacter

The research of Daniel Schacter, memory researcher, cognitive psychologist and professor of psychology at Harvard University, argues that our memory is prone to falling into seven faults that, due to the way they function, are common to all of us. He calls these seven errors the seven sins of memory.

Schacter explains that Research shows that the process of remembering and retrieving memories is a constructive activity.. Schacter points out that the human memory system is not perfect. The system has its deficiencies and we are all affected by memory deficiencies in our daily lives.

in his book The seven sins of memorySchacter systematically classifies various memory distortions into seven basic categories.According to Schacter, These seven categories of memory distortion are: transience, misattribution, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence.

However, Schacter says, “These memory distortions should not be seen as flaws in the design of the system, but rather these distortions can be conceptualized as byproducts of desirable characteristics of human memory.”

In this sense, Schacter highlights that There is evidence that memory meets the needs of the present and that the past is reshaped by current knowledge, beliefs, and emotions. Memory errors are as fascinating as they are important, Schacter says. These sins occur frequently in everyday life and in themselves are not a sign of pathology. The problem is that the consequences that usually arise from this mnesiac sin are usually not desirable.

The 7 sins of memory

Daniel Schacter states that memory malfunction can be divided into seven fundamental transgressions or sins. On the one hand there are sins of omission, which result in a failure to remember an idea, a fact or an event (memory recovery).. They are transience or transience (loss of retention over time), lack of attention or mental distension (failures of attention that lead to memory loss) and blocking (inability to retrieve information that is available in memory).

On the other hand, there are sins of commission, which involve different types of distortion, That is, cases where the memory is recovered but there is a failure in this memory. Either because it was poorly encoded, or because it was modified later without realizing it.

They are misattribution (attributing memory to an incorrect course), suggestibility (implanted memories resulting from suggestions or misleading information), and bias (distorting effects of current knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on memory).

Schacter proposes a final sin, persistence, which has to do with the intrusive and unwanted memories that we cannot forget.

Transience or transience

Transience or transience refers to a weakening, deterioration or loss of memory over time. That is, the deterioration of memories over time. In fact, recent events can be remembered much more than those later in the past. This is a basic characteristic of memory, and also the culprit of many memory problems.

Transience is caused by interference. There are two types of interference: proactive interference, in which old information inhibits the ability to remember new information; and retroactive interference, in which new information inhibits the ability to remember old information.

Lack of attention or mental relaxation

Mental slack or lack of attention involves a breakdown in the interface between attention and memory. It involves problems at the point where attention and memory interact.

Memory errors due to being distracted (losing keys or forgetting a lunch date, for example) usually occur because we are preoccupied with distracting issues or concerns, and we do not focus our attention on what we need to remember. That is to say, At the time of coding, not enough attention was paid to what would have to be remembered later.

Blocking

The blockade entails a frustrated search for information that we may be desperately trying to recover. It occurs when the brain tries to retrieve or encode information, but another memory interferes with it.

This frustrating experience occurs even though we are paying attention to the task at hand, and even though the memory we want to evoke has not faded. In fact, we realize this when we unexpectedly recover the blocked memory hours or days later.

Misattribution

The sin of misattribution involves assigning a memory to the wrong source. That is, it involves the correct collection of information with the incorrect memory of the source of that information.

Misattribution or false recognition occurs when people incorrectly recognize as a novel item that is perceptually or conceptually similar to an item they previously encountered.

It is important to note that misattribution is much more common than most people realize, and has potentially profound implications in legal environments.

Suggestibility

Suggestibility is similar to misattribution, but with the inclusion of an overt suggestion. The sin of suggestibility refers to memories that are implanted as a result of important questions, comments, or suggestions when a person is trying to remember a past experience.

That is to say, Suggestibility is the incorporation of erroneous information into memory due to leading questions, deception, and other causes.

Biases

Biases are retrospective distortions produced by current knowledge and beliefs. This sin is similar to that of suggestibility in that one’s current feelings and worldview distort one’s memory of past events.

So, The sin of bias reflects our ability to significantly modify our memories without realizing it. We often edit or completely rewrite our previous experiences, without being aware that we are doing so, based on what we know or believe now.

The result can be a biased representation of a specific incident or even an extended period in our lives which says more about how we feel now than about what happened at the time.

Persistence

Persistence is a failure of the memory system that involves the recurring retrieval of disturbing information that we wanted to ignore. The persistent memory can lead to the formation of phobias, post-traumatic stress disorders, and even suicide in particularly disturbing or intrusive cases.

In other words, Persistence refers to unwanted memories that people cannot forget, such as those that can be associated with post-traumatic stress. That is, the sin of persistence involves the repeated recall of disturbing information that we would like to forget.

Final comments

Although the sins of memory often seem like our enemies, in reality they are a logical consequence of how our mind works, since they are connected to the characteristics of memory that make it work well.

Therefore, as Schacter argues, Sins are not mere annoyances to be minimized or avoided, but must be considered, from a positive point of view.

Thanks to his commission, we know more about how memory draws on the past to inform the present, how it preserves elements of present experience for future reference, and how it allows us to review the past at will. Therefore, we could see these sins of memory also as virtues, as elements of a bridge that allows us to link the mind with the world.

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