Cognitive Processes: Memory
The human body is wired and created in a manner that various developments occur as one advances in age; for instance, it would be impossible to have a new born child who can speak. Most of the cognitive processes in human beings develop over time and, in fact, most of them get developed as a result of the various situations and experiences that one undergoes on a daily basis. Cognition is the intricate process through which a living being can decode and comprehend various aspects of the surrounding. For instance, it would be an aspect of cognition when one can identify that there has been a drop in temperature and it has, therefore, become cold. Cognition is not only unique to human beings as some animals also exhibit sufficient intelligence to understand the various cognitive processes (Schacter & Scarry, 2001). This paper shall evaluate these cognitive processes with particular regard to the aspect of memory as it develops with age and how the memory status of a child differs from that of a person with advanced age.
The Idea of Memory
Memory could be described in simple terms as the aspect and process through which living organisms are able to store, decipher and even retrieve information. Memory mainly deals with information and the manner of handling that information on a day to day basis. The intricate process and aspects of memory, however, seek to go beyond just storing and retrieving information; there is the idea of how one can interpret and also use that information already in the memory (Nilsson, 2006). The intricate aspects of memory differ depending on the age of a particular person. For instance, an adult would be considered to have better and improved memory than a child; despite this being the norm, there are numerous exemptions (Ohta, MacLeod & Uttl, 2005). In the realm of cognitive processes, there are various processes of memory which one undergoes; most of these processes occur subconsciously and most people are not even aware of their occurrence Ohta, MacLeod & Uttl, 2005). The various processes of memory begin from perception. In perception, it takes more than just seeing and registering an object and or a scenario, it is more complicated as it entails a process of understanding the context within which the given scenario could have happened and even the motivation for the occurrence of such a scenario (Conway, 2003).
Perception is closely followed by the sensory memory; for instance, after perceiving the notion of pain, one would then be in a position to state that he or she feels the pain. In most cases, sensory memory is closely followed by such aspects such as short-term memory to long-term memory (Ohta, MacLeod & Uttl, 2005). These two stages are greatly determined by the idea of perception. In some cases, age might be a factor where an older person is likely to remember an event that occurred during his lifetime than a child would, for an event that occurred during its infancy. Even then, the idea of perception plays a very important role in determining what could amount to a long-term memory and what could amount to the idea of a short-term memory.
Memory in Children
For purposes of this discourse on the aspect of memory and the nature of its development in human beings; it would be necessary to set out the various ages in which a study on memory differences would be viable. Extensive study and research has proven that the idea of memory in children tends to develop dramatically and fast when those children are between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. Psychologists believe that after the age of six years, going on to seven years old, the memory of a child could be more or less similar to that of an adult (Kvavilashvili et al, 2009). This means that the changes in memory occur in the early stages of the child.
The memory of an infant retains a very abstract nature that could not be understood and or comprehended by any average person. Through scientific study, it has become possible to establish that indeed, infants lack in the main and most important aspects of memory. Indeed, the only type of memory that infants have is declarative memory. From the aspect of declarative memory, other stages of memory development take root like the development of short to long-term memory (Gruszka, Mathew & Szymura, 2010).
Although studies indicate that the declarative memory is not usually aptly developed in infants below one and half years old, there have been cases where such infants have been able to recognize the distinctive voice of the mother. Such scenarios indicate that indeed, the aspects of explicit memory can start developing from a very young age and not necessarily from the age of 2 or 3 years (Gruszka, Mathew & Szymura, 2010).
Declarative memory in infants entails such aspects as the art of mimicking which precedes the stage of language acquisition; although it is not possible for an infant to clearly articulate itself in a give language, there are usually feeble attempts at pronouncing some of the words that are have been commonly and repeatedly used in various discussions (Eichenbaum, 2012).
The idea of memory changes at late childhood stages and the various aspects of cognition change. This is the age of curiosity and most children will seek a scenario where they want to know and understand more about a subject and or object. Developing onto the early adolescence and subsequent entry into the stage of young adulthood, is occasioned by advanced memory changes. In late adulthood, the principle of elaborative rehearsals becomes a more central aspect in the life of the individual. This majorly entails such aspects like the categorization of various aspects and the need to seek a deeper and more engaging aspect of the general surrounding. The fact that such an individual is actively engaged in research and other intellectual chores means that the mind, the main memory repository, is active and functioning in a normal manner (Gruszka, Mathew & Szymura, 2010).
The memory transforms when one enters the old age; it is common to see many old people with memory lapses. Old age usually has a significant impact on various cognitive processes like the art of seeing, hearing and even talking; the memory is not spared. In most cases, the loss of memory in old people has been associated with Alzheimer's Syndrome. Occasional memory loss occurs in aging people due to weakness in various physiological body processes; it could be taken literally as a bodily wear and tear scenario (Eichenbaum, 2012).
The difference between the middle aged and the elderly in terms of memory could be drawn from the aspects of mild cognitive impairment, a condition that becomes more prevalent as one advance in age. Normal young people tend to have their memory organized in a very specific manner as compared with the old who, due to various age factors, can fail to posit a clear line of thought (Nilsson, 2006). The differences manifested between children and young adults are in the aspect of cognition; children do not seek a deeper and or keen understanding of the various aspects of life. The main reason for this scenario is because the children and infants are yet to get to the age of intellectualism.
Various ways have been posited as viable means to improve the memory of a child; it can be through the use of colors. A child's memory tends to lean more on the aspect of perception. Perception relies on physical manifestation and color would play an important part in enhancing this notion (Ohta, MacLeod & Uttl, 2005). Secondly, a child’s memory could be improved to tailor the various teaching methods to the child’s interests. A child will be more interested in that which fascinates him or her. Improving an old person’s memory is a difficult task unless one attempts to maintain it and keep it sharp. Once memory starts faltering due to old age, there are few ways in which that situation could be salvaged. Avoiding scenarios that bring about stress and forgetfulness would be a viable way to do so.