Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain, and later retrieve information. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

There are 3 stages of memory which are : sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

• Sensory Memory
• Sensory memory is the earliest stage of memory. During this stage, sensory information from the environment is stored for a very brief period of time, generally for no longer than a half-second for visual information and 3 or 4 seconds for auditory information. We attend to only certain aspects of this sensory memory, allowing some of this information to pass into the next stage - short-term memory.

• Short-Term Memory
• Short-term memory, also known as working memory, is the information we are currently aware of or thinking about. In Freudian psychology, this memory would be referred to as the conscious mind. Paying attention to sensory memories generates the information in short-term memory. Most of the information stored in active memory will be kept for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. While many of our short-term memories are quickly forgotten, attending to this information allows it to continue on the next stage - long-term memory

• Long-Term Memory
• Long-term memory refers to the continuing storage of information. In Freudian psychology, long-term memory would be called the preconscious and unconscious. This information is largely outside of our awareness, but can be called into working memory to be used when needed. Some of this information is fairly easy to recall, while other memories are much more difficult to access.

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

STRUCTUALISM – The study focused on structure or basic things on the mind, that make up                                        our conscious mental processes.

Element of the mind

·         Sensation

·         Perceptions

• ·         Wilhelm Wundt :  The Father Of  Psychology
• ·         Wilhelm Wundt focused on the structures that make up the human mind through what he called Introspection. He would evaluate people based on thoughts and feelings and from what I understand he felt if one were properly trained they could diagnose mental illness via analyzing the subjects feelings and emotions. This was a very subjective approach.

• ·         Edward Titchener, a student of Wilhelm wundt
• ·          Titchener's ideas on how the mind worked were heavily influenced by Wundt's         theory of voluntarism and his ideas of association and apperception (the passive and active combinations of elements of consciousness respectively).
• ·          Titchener attempted to classify the structures of the mind, like chemists classify the elements of nature into the periodic table
• ·         He also brought structuralism to United States.

FUNCTIONALISM - The study of how mind function to adapt human and other animal to                                               their Environment

• ·        Functionalism was a response to Structuralism.
• ·       William James was a strong proponent /influence behind this school of thought along with theories of evolution re: Charles Darwin. 

• ·         James was a philosopher, psychologist, and Physician. While Structuralism was focused on the consciousness, the Functionalists focused on the “purpose” of our consciousness and human behavior.

• ·          This school of thought acknowledged the differences in each persons individual experience. From what I understand it is a sort of philosophical look at the way what is happening in our brains then becomes behavior and trying to understand why.

In order to understand this theory, analogy about the computer as an example.: “our brains are like the hardware of a computer and our minds (our beliefs and pains) are like the software states of a computer.”

"There are two things which are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein

There's a lot of opinions when it comes to the term psychology. From as simple as the human behavior to as complex as the human mind. To be frank, psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Behavior consists of external responses such as action and reaction, while mental processes consists of internal responses such as our brain's activity.Psychology goals are not other then the following keywords: description, explanation, prediction and control. A simple example is a situation where a baby is crying. The description is what is happening. The explanation is why is the baby crying. The prediction is when will the baby cry again. Lastly, the control is how can the crying be stopped or started again.


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