In an Introduction to Psychology course, psychology students learn about the different personalities and behaviors of humans. Those hoping to work in the field of psychology will also learn how the mind works to help humans remember people, places, and things. This is conducted by observing humans and applying psychology theories to the results of various tests on humans’ memory skills. If this seems like the right fit for you, check out general psychology.

Encoding, retention, and retrieval are three ways in which the human brain acquires, stores, and recalls memories. The brain stores memories, retains them over time, and gives us the ability to retrieve them.

Without observing it directly, psychologists study the human brain by observing people performing tests of memory. Psychologists in the past have observed subjects to produce the theories on the brain’s ability to encode, retain, and retrieve memories. Memory tests include recalling, recognizing, and relearning information. Learn more about psychology degree course and get on track to a great career.

The recall memory test is the earliest known test psychologists performed. Subjects read a list of words, study them, and then try to recall the items on the list from memory. The amount of time subjects take to study the test, determines how many items they are able to remember. Psychologists observed that the longer time we spend with any piece of information, gives us the ability to remember it. Our name is one example of a memory in our brain that we retrieve many times, whereas asking us to recall all the names of the states in the US, would not be easy.

The recognition memory test deals with subjects performing a recall test, which is then followed with a new list bearing the same words in with new items added. Subjects are capable of recognizing the words in the second list that were also in the first list, easier than they were able to recall them in the initial test.

The human brain is able to relearn information by taking the recall test a number of times. At some point, subjects will be able to recall all of the items on the recall list, although it may take one subject a different number of times looking at the list, than it would for another subject.

In addition to studying how a brain collects information, psychologists also study ways in which that information is lost. A number of factors determine the ways human brains lose memory, including the passing of time, the inability to pay attention, emotional upsets, and interference from new information stored in memory. Psychologists theorize that the experience most of us have had, that tip of the tongue temporary memory loss, can be corrected when a person stops trying so hard to remember it; what they were trying so hard to recall will then emote naturally.

Those who spend their lives studying the brain understand that through observation, they have learned much about brain function. There is so much more to learn, and psychologists spend their entire career devoted to doing just that. Look for free college money to fund your education. In the mean time, Test Drive College has resources to let you sample beginner courses at no charge.