Cognition and Memory Cognition: Particularly Memory Starting

Cognition and Memory

Cognition: Particularly Memory

Starting from a purely global point, at least as far as it applies to humans (animals in general actually), the brain is where everything begins. Within its folds and neural pathways are contained the chemicals that allow the electrical impulses which in turn produce thought. Every creature has thought at some level. A gnat does not travel completely based on instinct; there is some primitive awareness of what it is traveling toward and the need to possess certain elements from its environment which will allow the tiny insect to feed and reproduce. Of course, some would have people believe that every action is the result of some type of instinctual movement toward some reward and away from a punishment. Others see every action or thought as resulting from environmental stimuli and believe that nothing occurs innately. Of course, most beliefs that include such all or nothing statements are false, but these two, behaviorism and strict biological psychology, offer some elements of the truth with regard to thought, so they must at least be paid attention to. Since the brain is where it all begins, that is where the discussion starts.

Cognition is the simple term people use to explain very complex processes. Among these are memory and decision making. Both are very complex cognitive abilities that only some animals possess to one degree or another, but humans can accomplish both to a surprisingly advanced degree. Memory can be said to occur in stages which starts with an input being moved to the short-term field, then, if it is deemed worthy, to the long-term field. Of course, there are those who believe that everything that a person has ever experienced, from the first peek of light upon exiting the womb, to the thought that occurred milliseconds ago, are all encoded to some degree on the folds of the brain. Whereas this may or may not be so, it is interesting to think that the 90% of grey matter humans do not use may be occupied as storage. Decision making is actually an even more complex skill which requires memory, some understanding of the situation about which the decision is being made, and the ability to put every element of the process together to come up with a decision. This process is complete many times during the day because every action a human does is wrapped in some decision making process.

The decision may be so routine that it does not seem to be taking place, but it still does. For example, a woman eats the same grilled cheese sandwich every day. Sometimes she makes it herself, but usually, on the days she is working, she buys it from a certain corner deli called Mac's. Regardless where the sandwich comes from, it is always on sourdough bread, spread with margarine (not butter) on both sides of both pieces of bread, and using Munster cheese. When she arrives at the deli, the people at the counter know she is going to order the same grilled cheese and diet coke. But, even though she is going to eat the same thing for lunch every single day of her life, there are other choices available. Because there are other sandwiches served at the deli, such as a fantastic hot pastrami, she does have to go through the decision making process every day. It does not matter that she always comes to the same decision, and, over time, that the decision is almost subconscious. It is a process that occurs every time nonetheless.

These two processes, memory and decision making are intimately involved with one another. It is not necessary for a person to have had an experience before for them to make an informed decision, but it helps. Decision making is enhanced by using memory as a tool that can lead to a better decision.

Thought is also a key component of decision making. A decision can be made with very little thought, or put aside because the decision maker is using too much thought. Many people are said to "overthink" decisions, which can produce a decision that is just as bad as one on which little thought is used.

A good scenario in which all three are used involves a lumber jack who specializes in woods that are hard to find. A client wants the tread for their staircase made out of American Elm. The problem is that there is very little usable American Elm left in the United States because of beetles that have targeted those trees over the past century, and made them practically nonexistent. The lumber jack has a good memory for tree types and he has seen the leaves of an elm, and knows the patterns of the bark. Both of these items can be used for identification of the wood that is needed. The customer wants wood that has been freshly kilned and milled. That means that the lumberjack must find a living tree that can supply the wood or he needs to find freshly cut American Elm. He decides to go with wood that has been already put through a drying process and cut from a relatively recent harvest. The reason he decides on this process is that he remembers the length of the drying process (natural, approximately two years, or with a kiln, approximately six months) and realizes that he does not have that amount of time. His memory is working when he remembers the times required, and his thought process is engaged when he decides to use a product that already has the required moisture content. However, he may have to change his thought process if he is not able to find the wood he wants.