Genetic memory. Genetic memory: description of the phenomenon

Lesson objectives:

• To introduce students to the cognitive process “memory”, to give its general characteristics;
• Reveal the physiological mechanism of this process, identify and characterize the main types of human memory;
• To introduce the basic processes of memory and the conditions for successful memorization and reproduction of material, with psychodiagnostics of the memory process.
• To develop in students a general understanding of human cognitive activity, its connection with higher nervous activity, and to cultivate interest in the disciplines being studied.

Equipment:

1) Table “Brain”,

2) Individual cards for each student:

a) diagram of the brain,

b) basic lesson map by types of memory,

c) individual cards with test tasks.

Lesson vocabulary: memory, hypothalamus, limbic system, figurative, emotional, motor, verbal-logical, short-term, long-term, mechanical, semantic memory, memorization, preservation, forgetting, reproduction, recollection, psychoactive substances.

1. general characteristics memory. The role of memory in human mental life.

2. Physiological mechanism of memory.

3. Types of memory:

a) from volitional regulation;

b) from the object of storage;

c) on the duration of storage;

d) on the method of memorization;

4. Basic memory processes.

5. Conditions for successful memorization.

6. Psychodiagnostics of types and processes of memory.

During the lesson, students fill out a reference card according to the above plan.

Contents of the material studied in the lesson.

1. Memory- the basis of human mental activity, without it a person cannot navigate the surrounding reality, without it sensations and perceptions are impossible, through memory our past experience, knowledge, skills and abilities are consolidated.

Memory is a reflection of a person’s past experience, manifested in remembering, preserving and reproducing what he did, felt, perceived. Everything that a person has mastered in life, he owes to memory - this is his knowledge, skills and abilities, without it it is impossible to master any type of activity. A person remembers better what has special meaning for him, what is connected with his activities, interests, and needs.

Memorization is greatly influenced by the emotional attitude towards the material being memorized; with positive emotions, the material is remembered better. Memorization depends on the development of a person’s volitional qualities; weak-willed people remember poorly, superficially. Thus, memory is associated with personality characteristics, its orientation; memory has the property of selectivity, i.e. a person remembers not everything, but what is related to his activities, needs and interests.

2. Physiological mechanism of memory.(Simultaneously with the teacher’s story, students make designations on the diagram of the brain of those parts of the brain that are responsible for memory processes).

The most important property nervous system is the ability to accumulate, store and reproduce incoming information. The study of memory began many centuries ago, when man began to realize, albeit by accident, that he was capable of remembering and storing information.

Thus, the ancient Greeks believed that information in the form of some material particles enters the head and leaves imprints on the soft substance of the brain, like on clay or wax. In connection with the development of the science of anatomy, molecular biology, and genetics, modern ideas about the mechanism of memory have emerged.

Memory is the result of a complex dynamic interaction between different brain structures. (Students are asked to indicate on handout cards with a cross-sectional image of the brain those brain structures that are involved in the formation of memory).

These are the thalamus, limbic system and various areas of the cortex: temporal lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe. The limbic system is a complex network of nuclei of the diencephalon, cingulate gyrus and hippocampus.

The mechanism of memory is that when nerve impulses are received from a stimulus, ring structures are formed in the cerebral cortex nerve cells, through which these nerve impulses pass repeatedly. Closed circuits are mainly created by neurons of layers III and IV of the cortex. This is a biochemical process, as persistent changes appear at the synaptic and cellular levels. It is known that in the cells of the cortex and subcortical formations, nerve impulses stimulate the production of RNA, which, in turn, predetermines the synthesis of a new protein, highly sensitive to already familiar impulses.

Therefore, familiar impulses more easily excite the cell and thus the event is recorded in the brain.

3. Types of memory.

A). Involuntary and voluntary memorization arises from the degree of volitional effort. Involuntary memorization occurs without a goal, without volitional effort, without the use of special techniques. For example: I saw something bright, new, unusual and it is remembered involuntarily. Voluntary memorization: a person sets a goal for himself and makes a volitional effort. All educational activities are based on this type of memory.

b). Types of memory arise depending on the object being remembered: object, movement, feeling or thought and there are 4 types of memory: figurative, motor, emotional and verbal-logical.

1) Imagery is the memorization, preservation and reproduction of images of objects and phenomena previously perceived.

This type of memory is distinguished by analyzers and distinguishes auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory and olfactory memory. For example: auditory - we remember the melodies of songs, the voice of friends; visual – we imagine the image of friends, any previously perceived object: tree, apple; olfactory – we remember the smell of fruits, perfumes; tactile - soft, hard, prickly, smooth, etc.; gustatory - we remember the taste of fruits and vegetables.

2) Motor memory is the memorization and reproduction of movements and their systems. Any movement: dancing, sports, any activity - all these are examples of motor memory. All people have motor memory, but it is developed differently. Its development depends on training, exercise, and the physical characteristics of the body. Motor memory develops in a child from the first months.

3) Emotional memory- this is a memory of a person’s feelings. Experienced feelings do not disappear without a trace, but under certain conditions are reproduced - a person is happy or sad after remembering something. Emotional memory underlies the development of moral and moral traits. This memory helps regulate behavior depending on the feelings experienced. .

For example: a person experiences joy when doing a good deed, therefore he strives for positive actions and refrains from negative ones.

4) Verbal-logical memory - this memory is expressed in memorizing, preserving and reproducing thoughts and concepts in verbal formulation. This memory is closely connected with thinking, with the development of speech and is the basis of educational activity. The assimilation of knowledge in various sciences occurs through verbal and logical memory.

All these types of memory are closely interconnected and never arise in isolation. For example: we write - figurative, motor, verbal-logical memory is involved; We teach dance - motor, figurative.

V). Depending on the duration of storage, short-term and long-term memory are distinguished. Short-term memory is the memory of an event that just happened. Due to this type of memory, information is retained in the brain structures within 0.5 hours. If necessary, it either goes into long-term memory, or the events are forgotten. It is well established that this type of memory is associated with the functioning of the hippocampus.

Long-term memory is the main type of human memory, thanks to which he can exist as an individual. It is formed from short-term memory as a result of repeated passage of impulses through the ring structures of neurons of the limbic system. Long-term memory is the basis of human conditioned reflex activity. All images, events, knowledge, abilities, skills are stored in this memory. At present, the mechanism of long-term memory has not yet been fully studied.

A special type of memory is RAM. This is memorizing some information for a while. For example: a formula for solving a problem, a lesson schedule for six months, a day, a week.

G). Mechanical and semantic memory are distinguished from the method of memorization.

Rote memorization is the sequential learning of individual parts of material without relying on a semantic connection between them.

Semantic memorization is based on understanding the meaning, awareness of the internal logical connection both between parts of the memorized material and between this material and previous knowledge.

4. Memory processes.

The definition of memory lists its main processes: memorization, storage, reproduction.

1. Memorization.

Memorization is the consolidation of images and ideas that arose in past experiences.

Memorization occurs in 2 forms:

a) involuntary – depends on the feelings, interests, needs, activities and physical condition of a person.

b) voluntary memorization - depends on its organization, a person’s interests, volitional effort, and special techniques.

This type of memorization can be done mechanically and meaningfully.

Rote memorization is the purposeful memorization of a text (poems, rule, theorem).

Meaningful memorization - memorization is carried out on the understanding of meaning and logical connections.

2. Saving.

Retention is the retention in memory of images of previously perceived objects and phenomena.

Preservation depends on human activity, his needs, interests, and repetition of material.

Forgetting is the fading, loss from memory of images and ideas of previously perceived objects. What is forgotten is what is not related to activities, needs, interests, what is not repeated.

3. Playback.

Reproduction is the process of reviving images and ideas of previously perceived objects and phenomena (without repeated perception).

May take the form of:

a) recognition;

b) recall.

5. Conditions for successful memorization.

1. Having a memorization mindset—long-term memorization, rather than just reading the material.

2. Activity of mental activity:

a) break the material into parts;

b) highlight the main strongholds, heroes, events, dates, rules, laws, etc.

c) make a plan.

3. Organization of memorization:

a) learn less similar material;

b) learn more difficult material first;

c) include all types of memory;

d) teach out loud;

e) repeat regularly.

4. Form of presentation and content of the material:

a) interesting, accessible, supported by examples;

b) use of visuals, audio and video materials.

5. Organization of repetitions:

a) read it - retell it immediately;

b) retell it in a few hours;

c) tell me again in a few days.

6. The use of mnemonic memorization techniques - techniques that help and facilitate memorization (comparison, comparison).

7. Well-being and health.

8. Lead healthy image life:

a) absence bad habits;

b) sufficient sleep;

c) good nutrition.

9. Hereditary typological features of GNI.

To consolidate the studied material, we offer test assignments and practical work.

Test items for a survey on anatomy.

1. The limbic system does not include nuclei:

1. cerebral hemispheres
2. diencephalon
3. medulla oblongata
4. midbrain

2. The hippocampus is:

1. one of the convolutions of the cerebral hemispheres
2. midbrain nucleus
3. diencephalon nucleus
4. bundles of associative nerve fibers

3. The diencephalon is located:

1. between the medulla oblongata and midbrain
2. under the medulla oblongata
3. behind the cingulate gyrus
4. above the midbrain

4. Memory is based on:

1. synthesis of a special type of protein
2. RNA synthesis
3. DNA synthesis
4. carbohydrate synthesis

5. The basis of long-term memory is:

1. repeated passage of nerve impulses through the ring structures of neurons
2. delay of nerve impulses in the frontal lobe of the cortex
3. passage of nerve impulses through the thalamus to the spinal cord
4. no answer needed

6. Stimuli from the environment are perceived:

1. visual bumps
2. 3-4 layers of cortical neurons
3. 5-6 layers of cortical neurons
4. bark surface

7. Complex structural associations of nuclei, including the nuclei of the cerebral hemispheres, are called:

1. reticular formation
2. hypothalamus
3. limbic system
4. corpus callosum

8. Higher nervous activity is:

1. brain stem function
2. work of the entire central nervous system
3. work of the cortex and subcortical nuclei
4. work of the cerebellum

Test items for a survey in psychology.

1. Memory is...

2. Match

Types of memory

3. The basis for the division of memory into motor, emotional, figurative and logical is:

a) leading analyzer

b) subject of reflection

c) subject activity

d) type of activity

4. Memory is considered genetically primary:

a) motor

b) figurative

c) emotional

d) logical

5. The highest type of memory is memory:

a) motor

b) figurative

c) emotional

d) logical

6. Types of memory based on the establishment of semantic connections in the memorized material are called:

a) mechanical

b) logical

c) emotional

d) operational

7. A type of memory in which a person remembers visual images, faces, colors, etc. especially well. - this is memory:

a) long-term

b) figurative

c) emotional

d) operational

8. A type of memory in which, first of all, the feelings experienced by a person are preserved and reproduced:

a) figurative

b) phenomenal

c) emotional

d) verbal-logical

Practical work.

Subject: identifying the volume of short-term memory.

Target: determine the capacity of short-term memory.

Object of study: Human.

Materials and equipment: a sheet of paper with a prepared test of 25 words, a clock.

Progress.

Read the proposed test carefully for 1 minute, then put it aside and close it. Within 5 minutes, write down all the words that you managed to remember in any order.

Reporting form.

Count the number of words you wrote (check for mistakes), and for each word give yourself 1 point.

Evaluation of the results obtained.

Based on the total points, determine which category your memory size belongs to.

Possible words for the test: hay, key, plane, train, picture, month, singer, radio, grass, pass, car, heart, bouquet, sidewalk, century, film, aroma, mountains, ocean, stillness, calendar, man, woman , abstraction, helicopter.

Determination of memory capacity characteristics.

Over 22 Your memory is phenomenal. Genetic memory(“ancestral memory”, “ancestral memory”) has been proven by scientists. Previously, it was assessed only at the level of hypotheses. Most

serious attitude

she gained it from psychologists (hypnotherapists). Through ancestral memory, the inexplicable was explained: for example, a constant state of stress and panic attacks during a prosperous life (parents survived a concentration camp). Under hypnosis, patients revealed shocking details of horrors they simply could not have known.

Even 100 years ago, Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, believed that descendants inherit the experience of their ancestors, which is associated with stress and pain. But until recently, this assumption was not confirmed experimentally.

Only in 2013 did a breakthrough occur. The study that proved Pavlov's assumption was carried out by American scientists Kerry Ressler and Brian Diaz from Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta (USA). They found that traumatic experiences alter gene activity through chemical modification of DNA. Experiments were carried out on mice, which passed on the memory of smell from generation to generation. The article was first published in the scientific publication Nature Neuroscience.

During the study, it was found that newborn rodents inherited from their parents a gene responsible for innate reflexes. In particular, offspring may be afraid of certain odors that their “parents” cannot stand.

This pattern is typical only for “paternal” and “grandfather’s” memories, but not for “maternal” ones, since spermatogenesis occurs throughout the life of men, and a woman is born with a full set of eggs, and it is no longer possible to somehow change these genes. However, in the same formed eggs, a woman stores the ancestral memory from her father, that is, the grandfather of her child. By the way, it is curious that among Jews it is customary to determine a true Jew precisely by his mother.

Before the publication of research data, masses of books were written about ancestral memory. Most of them come from psychophysiologists and hypnotherapists. As indirect evidence (in the absence of experienced ones), they cited the amazing and inexplicable skills of infants (for example, the ability to swim). The reasoning went roughly along the following lines:

Today it is known that during pregnancy, the fetus in the womb dreams about 60% of the time. From the point of view of S.P. Rastorguev, author of the book “Information War,” it is genetic memory that manifests itself, and the brain views it and learns. “The original void that the embryo is destined to fill in the mother’s womb is filled with a genetic program containing the lives already lived by the ancestors.” Thanks to science, today we know that the human embryo in the mother’s womb, in the process of maturation, going through the entire cycle of evolutionary development - from a single-celled organism to a baby, “briefly recalls its entire history, as the history of the development of a living being.” As a result, a newborn child retains a genetic memory recorded by all his historical ancestors. For example, a newborn has the ability to float on its own. This ability to swim is lost after a month. Those. children are born with a full arsenal of knowledge, carefully preserved by centuries of evolution in genetic memory. And until the age of 2, the child retains sound, visual, and tactile genetic memory. Unfortunately (or fortunately), as we grow and learn, access to genetic memory decreases.

Although present in our psyche, genetic memory data is usually not available to us for conscious comprehension. Because our consciousness actively counteracts the manifestation of this memory, trying to protect the psyche from “split personality.” But genetic memory can manifest itself during sleep or a state of altered consciousness (hypnosis, trance, meditation), when control of consciousness is weakened.

Ratio
subjective
and objective reality:
rational forms
development
reality

• 1. Memory
• 2. Thinking

1.
Memory

Everything that happens in our psyche, in a sense, remains in it. Sometimes - forever. It remains as a “trace” of the past, its sign, code, image. Each of us can confirm that what is repeatedly perceived and experienced is recognized by us precisely as a repetition of the “known”, that is, we are ready to assert that it has already happened.

The ability to constantly accumulate information, which is the most important feature psyche, is universal in nature, covers all spheres and periods of mental activity and in many cases is realized automatically, almost unconsciously. As examples, we can cite two reliable stories that have become classic in psychology. A completely illiterate woman fell ill and, in a feverish delirium, loudly shouted Latin and Greek sayings, the meaning of which she clearly did not understand. It turned out that as a child she served under a pastor who used to memorize quotes from ancient classics out loud. The woman involuntarily remembered them forever, which, however, she herself did not suspect before her illness. A man who was hypnotized in a pharmacy correctly reproduced hundreds of inscriptions on medicine packages by heart, although he had nothing to do with medicine.

All living beings have memory. Evidence has emerged of the ability to remember even in plants. In the broadest sense, memory can be defined as a mechanism for recording information acquired and used by a living organism. Human memory is, first of all, the accumulation, consolidation, preservation and subsequent reproduction by a person of his experience, that is, of everything that happened to him. Memory is a way of existence of the psyche in

time, retention of the past, that is, what is no longer in the present. Therefore, memory is necessary condition the unity of the human psyche, our psychological identity.

Memory structure

Most psychologists recognize the existence of several levels of memory, differing in how long each level can retain information. The first level corresponds to the immediate or sensory type of memory. Its systems hold fairly accurate and complete data about how the world is perceived by our senses at the receptor level. The duration of data storage is 0.1 - 0.5 seconds.

Discovering how our sensory memory works is not difficult. Close your eyes, then open them for a moment and close them again. Observe how the clear, clear picture you see remains for some time, and then slowly disappears. You can simply move a pencil or finger back and forth in front of your eyes while looking straight ahead. Notice the blurry image following the moving object. This is the content of sensory memory. If the information received in this way attracts the attention of the higher parts of the brain, it will be stored for about 20 seconds (without repeating or replaying the signal while the brain processes and interprets it). This is the second level - short-term memory.

Information like the last few words of a sentence (that you just heard or read), telephone numbers, someone's last name, can be retained by short-term memory in a very limited amount: five to nine numbers, letters, or the name of five to nine objects. And only by making a conscious effort, repeating the material contained in short-term memory again and again, can it be retained indefinitely for a long time. Consequently, short-term memory is still amenable to conscious regulation and can be controlled by a person. But the “immediate imprints” of sensory information cannot be repeated; they are stored only for tenths of a second and the psyche has no way to prolong them. Short-term memory allows a person to process a colossal amount of information without overloading the brain, due to the fact that it weeds out everything unnecessary and leaves the potentially useful, necessary for solving immediate (urgent) problems (working memory).

Long-term memory

The accumulation of experience is associated with long-term memory, whose capacity and duration are in principle unlimited. There is a clear and compelling difference between memory for events that have just happened and for events in the distant past. We remember the first easily and directly, but remembering the second can be difficult; this requires

sometimes a lot of time. Short-term memory: “What were the last words of the previous sentence?” Long-term memory: "What did you have for lunch last Sunday?" Introducing new material into long-term memory and subsequently reproducing it requires significant effort.

The operational and analytical centers of our psyche only partially control their information base, which is why it can be difficult for us to extract from the entire mass of information stored in it exactly the information that is required at the moment. At the same time, a number of complex operations associated, for example, with the implementation of the rules of grammar, logic and the interpretation of symbols of printed text, that is, with reading, are performed by long-term memory systems quickly and almost automatically.

Types of memory

In accordance with the type of material being remembered, the following four types of memory are distinguished. Genetically primary is considered motor memory, that is, the ability to remember and reproduce a system of motor operations (type on a typewriter, tie a tie, use tools, drive a car, etc.). Then it is formed figurative memory, that is, the ability to save and further use the data of our perception. Depending on which analyzer took the greatest part in the formation of the image, we can talk about five subtypes of figurative memory: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and gustatory. The human psyche is focused primarily on visual and auditory memory, which are distinguished by great differentiation (especially “memory” for faces, situations, intonations, etc.).

Almost simultaneously with the motor one, it is formed emotional memory, which is a recording of the feelings we have experienced, our own emotional states and affects. A person who was greatly frightened by a dog jumping out of the entrance will flinch for a long time as he passes by (memory of fear, shame, blind rage, etc.). The highest type of memory, inherent only to man, is considered verbal(sometimes called verbal or semantic) memory. With its help, the information base of the human intellect is formed, most mental actions are carried out (reading, counting, etc.). Semantic memory as a product of culture includes forms of thinking, methods of cognition and analysis, and basic grammatical rules of the native language.

According to the degree of the volitional process of memorization and reproduction, they distinguish involuntary(sometimes we don’t want to, but we remember) and random memory. In the latter case, a person seems to set himself the task: “remember!” But willpower does not guarantee success; we often forget exactly what we were afraid to forget.

The most mysterious remain the mechanisms of genetic memory, with the help of which the hereditarily determined regulation of human mental reactions and actions, associated primarily with the innate instincts of self-preservation and reproduction, occurs.

There are three main processes, the synthesis of which forms memory as an integral functional formation of the psyche. During the first of them - memorization, first of all, the analysis and identification of various characteristics of incoming information and its coding take place. Second memory process - data storage, associated mainly with its organization and retention. Third - playback, involuntary or voluntary (the latter is also called recall). Reproduction of information can rightly be considered the main function, the main purpose of memory - to give a person the opportunity to use the data of his experience.

Memory is one of the most individualized phenomena of the psyche and depends on many factors: characteristics of the brain and the entire central nervous system, environment, nature of activity, personality type, etc. Therefore it is difficult to determine general patterns memorization and even more difficult to learn how to effectively manage it, although there are many recommendations in this regard, entire methods of improving memory are being developed.

The German psychologist G. Ebbinghaus proposed a unified system of 14 patterns of mechanical memorization of material that is neutral in semantic and emotional terms. Some of them can be cited.

1. What is remembered most strongly (sometimes forever) are the relatively elementary, but powerful external influences that a person experiences for the first time.
2. Complex information that does not cause strong emotional reactions, will not stay in memory for long.
3. The higher the concentration of attention on data, the faster they will be memorized.
4. The accuracy of the reproduced information is difficult to evaluate subjectively (“lying like an eyewitness”). You need to be somewhat skeptical and wary of the reliability of even your own memories, and be prepared for gaps and errors to be discovered in them.
5. When memorizing a long series of data or impressions, their beginning and end are best reproduced.
6. Repetition (direct or indirect) is the only relative guarantee of memorization reliability.
7. Logically related or interdependent data is easier to remember, since an associative connection of impressions is formed. Therefore, during reproduction, the same elements seem to “pull” others along with them.

In principle, the memory of each person is selective, especially noticeable during involuntary memorization. The success of voluntary memorization depends largely on the adequacy (compliance) of the nature of what is memorized with the settings of our perception. For example, you need to remember an evening visiting relatives or friends. Some will easily talk about who was dressed and how (most often these are women), others will talk in detail about what they drank and what they ate, while others, by the way, very few, will confidently remember the content of the general conversations of those gathered.

Memory ability various types The data also depends on which hemisphere is dominant in a person - left or right. In the first case, the mechanisms of semantic memory (for diagrams, logic of evidence, terms, etc.) turn out to be effective, in the second - for visual and motor memory (for patterns, sequence of actions, orientation, etc.).

The information retained in memory is characterized by a certain dynamism, as if it independently “lives” in our psyche: sometimes it is involuntarily updated in it, in other cases, without obvious reasons, it becomes elusive, almost inaccessible. One of the few known cycles of such dynamics is called reminiscence: very often, what we had difficulty reproducing immediately after memorizing, after some time (usually after 2 - 4 days) we remember clearly and in detail.

The context in which the memory occurs is of great importance: your old things, books, the house where you lived as a child, seem to revive the impressions associated with them. The so-called Zeigarnik effect is also interesting: a person remembers unfinished actions and situations that did not receive a natural resolution much better. If we were unable (or were prevented) from finishing something, drinking something, “loving” someone, were close to the goal, but did not achieve what we wanted, then we remember this for a long time, and what is completed is forgotten very easily. This feature of memory is due to the fact that an unfinished action is a source of strong negative emotions, which, in principle, are many times more powerful in impact than positive ones. Therefore, people remember very well unsuccessful love, illness, misfortune, how they sat in a trench or in prison, suffered, suffered, etc., and retain a rather vague memory of the “natural” course of life.

Forgetting factors

Most memory problems are not related to difficulties in remembering, but rather in recall. Some data modern science allow us to assert that information in a healthy brain is stored indefinitely, but most of it a person (under normal conditions) cannot use. She is practically inaccessible to him, he

“forgot”, although he rightly claims that he once “knew” about it, read, heard, but... this is forgetting, temporary situational, sudden, complete or partial, selective, etc., that is a process leading to a loss of clarity and a decrease in the volume of data that can be updated in the psyche. The depth of forgetting can be astonishing; sometimes those who “forget” deny the very fact of their acquaintance with what they need to remember, and do not recognize what they have repeatedly encountered.

Forgetting can be caused by various factors. The first and most obvious of them is time. It takes less than an hour to forget half of the material you learned mechanically. It would seem an obvious relationship: what longer time finding information in the psyche, the deeper the forgetting. But the psyche is characterized by paradoxical phenomena: older people (age is a temporary characteristic) easily remember the past, but just as easily forget what they just heard. This phenomenon is called "Ribault's law", the law of reversal of memory. The second factor in forgetting is usually considered to be the active use of existing information. What is forgotten is what there is no constant need or necessity. This is true most of all in relation to semantic memory for information received in adulthood. Childhood impressions and motor skills (riding a bicycle, playing the guitar, swimming) remain quite stable for decades, without any exercise. There is, however, a known case where a man, who had been in prison for about three years, forgot how to tie not only his tie, but also his shoelaces.

Forgetting may be due to work defense mechanisms our psyche, which displaces traumatic impressions from consciousness into the subconscious, where they are then more or less securely retained. Consequently, what is “forgotten” is something that disturbs the psychological balance and causes constant negative tension (“motivated forgetting”).

Memory is one of the most vulnerable human abilities; its various disorders are very common, although most people do not notice them, or notice them too late. Typical memory disorders clearly demonstrate its dependence on the entire complex of a person’s personal characteristics, and their analysis allows us to better understand memory as a psychological phenomenon.

Memory impairment

Individual parameters human memory differ in a very large range, so the concept of “normal memory” is quite vague. For example, your memories suddenly become more vivid and sharper, more detailed than usual, the smallest details are reproduced in them, you did not even suspect that you “remember” all this. In this case they talk about hyperfunction of memory, which is usually associated with strong

excitement, feverish excitement, taking certain drugs or hypnotic influence. Violation of emotional balance, feelings of uncertainty and anxiety set the thematic focus of the hyperfunction of memory, which in these cases takes the form of intrusive memories. We irresistibly remember (in the most vivid figurative form) our extremely unpleasant or shameful actions. It is almost impossible to expel such memories: they return again and again, causing us a feeling of shame and remorse (“memory of conscience”).

Much more common is a weakening of memory functions, a partial loss of the ability to retain or reproduce existing information. The earliest manifestations of memory impairment include weakening selective reproduction, difficulties in reproducing the material needed at the moment (dates, names, titles, terms, etc.). Memory loss can then take the form of progressive amnesia. Its causes: alcoholism, trauma, sclerosis, age-related and negative personality changes, some diseases.

With amnesia, the ability to remember new information is first lost, and then the information reserves of memory are successively reduced. First of all, what was learned quite recently is forgotten, that is, new data and new associations, then memories of the last years of life are lost. Events from childhood and youth recorded in memory last much longer. People quickly lose memory associated with the rules of complex mental actions, complex assessments, the most stable manner of behavior, gait, etc.

Interesting facts about memory deceptions, which usually take the form of extremely one-sided selectivity of memories, false memories (confibulation) and memory distortions. They are usually caused by strong desires, unsatisfied needs and drives. The simplest case: a child is given candy, he quickly eats it, and then “forgets” about it and quite sincerely proves that he did not receive anything. It is practically impossible to convince him (like many adults) in such cases. Memory easily becomes a slave to human passions, prejudices and inclinations. That is why unbiased, objective memories of the past are very rare. Memory distortions are often associated with a weakening of the ability to distinguish between one’s own and someone else’s, between what a person actually experienced and what he heard or read about. With repeated repetition of such memories, their complete personification occurs, that is, a person quite naturally and organically considers as his own other people’s thoughts, ideas that he himself sometimes rejected, and recalls the details of events in which he never participated. This shows how closely memory is related to imagination, fantasy, and what is sometimes called psychological reality.

Where is the memory center?

The connection between the emotional and motivational structures of the psyche and the nature of memorization and reproduction has been confirmed by the latest data from neurophysiological research. It turned out that the same subcortical areas (primarily the limbic system) that are responsible for affective and motivational activation of the psyche play a major role in consolidating information. In general, the problem of localization mental functions in the brain (and without solving it it is difficult to answer the question about the essence of memory) is still largely unresolved. Not only is it still unclear how, say, visual receptor data is encoded in the brain, it is not even possible to determine where this data is stored.

The first information about the localization of mental functions in the brain was obtained through observations of patients who had undergone brain injuries. At the same time, it was found that damage to the occipital lobes of the brain causes visual impairment, the frontal lobes - emotions, destruction of the left hemisphere negatively affects speech, etc.

But, to everyone’s surprise, until very recently it was necessary to acknowledge the fact that not only animals, but also people can endure extensive brain damage without obvious memory impairment. The only pattern discovered was of a very general nature: the more extensive the brain damage, the more serious its consequences for memory. This situation is called the law of mass action: memory is destroyed in proportion to the weight of the destroyed brain tissue. Even removing 20% ​​of the brain (through surgery) does not lead to memory loss. Therefore, doubts arose about the existence of a localized memory center; a number of psychologists unequivocally argued that the entire brain should be considered a memory organ.

At the very Lately Two new circumstances have become known that allow us to hope for a solution to the problem of the information center of the psyche. Firstly, it was discovered that with direct influence on certain areas of the brain, complex chains of memories can emerge in consciousness, that is, a person suddenly remembered what he had long forgotten, and easily continued to remember what was “forgotten” after the operation. Secondly, if not a memory center, then at least a section was found that regulates the transfer of data from short-term memory to long-term memory, without which memorizing newly received new information is impossible. This center is called the hippocampus and is located in the temporal lobe of the brain. After bilateral hippocampal ablation, patients retained memory of what happened before surgery, but no new data was observed. But the question of where previously obtained information is stored remains unanswered.

The final solution to the problem of memory will become possible only after the resolution of the dispute about physical nature information carriers in the brain (proteins, molecules).

Genetic memory (gene memory, racial memory, ancestral memory, hereditary memory, biological memory) - a hypothetical set of hereditary reactions transmitted to a subject through generations through genes. The term is used in psychology and neuroscience.

Description

Genetic memory is a hypothetical phenomenon consisting of a genotype-based “memory” for biological events that occurred during evolution biological species. The word "memory" is used in a metaphorical sense to denote a genetically encoded propensity for certain behaviors and patterns of action that are the vestiges of evolutionarily important changes in the species. As an example: fear of falling and reflexive reactions to falling objects are examples that reflect the evolutionary adaptive response that any successfully developing primate species with a high body mass-to-surface ratio must have.

Genetic memory considers a number of behavioral acts inherent in animals and humans, mostly in the early age category. Genetic memory allows a newborn to preserve his life until he accumulates sufficient experience. Carriers gene memory perform nucleic acids, united into chromosomes and genes that facilitate the storage and accumulation of information. Includes unconscious actions, whether unconditioned reflexes or a set of fixed actions. Genetic memory is characteristic of all species of animals and in newborns is of primary importance in relation to phonetic memory - memory based on individually acquired experience and learning. As a consequence, phonetic memory is responsible for newly acquired information and experience, used in further generations by genetic memory.

History of the study

The modern concept refutes that genetic memory belongs to the theory of Lamarckism, in contrast to 19th century biologists who consider genetic memory to be a fusion of memory and heredity, in the general vein of the Lamarckian mechanism. By 1881, Ribot believed that the difference between psychological and genetic memory was based common mechanism, is that the psychological does not interact with consciousness. Hering and Zemon, who developed general theories of memory, later developed the engram theory and identified related processes engraphies And ecphoria. Zemon divided memory into two types - genetic and central nervous system memory. The interpretation of biologists of the 19th century has not completely lost its significance in the modern age, being in sharp contrast with the theories of neo-Darwinism. At this point, genetic memory is generally considered false concept in psychology. However, reputable scientists such as Stuart Newman and Gerd Müller are making contributions to the study of genetic memory

In parapsychology

Genetic memory in culture

This term is often used in works of art(most often in the literal sense), as well as in other cultural aspects.

One striking example is the works of such authors as Jack London and Robert E. Howard. Thus, in the work “Interstellar Wanderer,” London describes the reincarnation of the convicted Darrell Standing. London's novel was famously influenced by Robert E. Howard, who wrote many stories on the theme of reincarnation, such as the James Ellison series, Galloping with Thunder, Children of night, People of darkness, Cairn on the Cape and many others. In the context of these authors, the theme of reincarnation is closely related to genetic memory, because the heroes of the works and their incarnations are part of the same racial branch.

Genetic memory is described in Ivan Efremov’s story “The Hellenic Secret”, called “memory of generations”, and in the work itself confirmed by the experiments of transpersonal psychology.

The concept plays an important role in the Dune Chronicles novel series by Frank Herbert (especially the fictional concept of the Kwisatz Haderach).

As a component of the plot, genetic memory is introduced in the series computer games Assassin's Creed and the film based on the game Assassin's Creed. A group of scientists were able to invent a machine Animus, capable of extracting from the subject information about ancestors embedded in his genes.

Notes

1. Dictionary practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.
2. Explanatory dictionary of psychology. 2013.
3. Trainer's Dictionary. V. V. Gritsenko.
4. Rodolfo R. Llinas (2001). I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self. MIT Press. pp. 190-191. ISBN 0-262-62163-0.
5. encyclopedic Dictionary in psychology and pedagogy. 2013.
6. Louis D. Matzel (2002). "Learning Mutants". In Harold E. Pashler. Steven's Handbook of Experimental Psychology. John Wiley and Sons. p. 201. ISBN 0-471-65016-1.
7. Timothy L. Strickler (1978). Functional Osteology and Myology of the Shoulder in the Chiroptera. Karger Publishers. p. 325. ISBN 3-8055-2645-8.
8. Brian Keith Hall, Roy Douglas Pearson, and Gerd B. Müller (2003). Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a Synthesis. MIT Press. p. 17. ISBN 0-262-08319-1.
9. Robert F. Almeder (1992). Death and Personal Survival: The Evidence for Life After Death. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 28-29. ISBN 0-8226-3016-8.
10. Susan J. Blackmore (1999). The Meme Machine. Oxford University Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-19-286212-X.
11. John Donnelly (1994). Language, Metaphysics, and Death. Fordham Univ Press. p. 356.