Memory functions.

To examine cross-cultural research in memory it is necessary to discuss briefly the underlying constructs. Wagner (1993) made a distinction between two major aspects of memory referring to structural and control processes. A lot of research in memory functioning point to brain structures related to long-term and short-term memory. Most of us have had the experience of being prompted about some memory of an event that occurred long ago. Long term memory has seemingly unlimited capacity, and a trace probably exist for all meaningful events, good or bad, that has occurred in our lives. Short-term memory on the other hand is where we store temporary matters like telephone numbers of stores or other less significant things. Although forgetting is also a universal experience, memory in the short term storage is forgotten more quickly, often as soon as you have acted on the information provided like when calling the store phone number for some pricing information. Baddeley (1986) suggested that short-term memory has a maximum storage of about 2 seconds, after that the memory trace must be refreshed, perhaps by repeating to yourself the phone number you intend to use. The control process in memory refers to the strategies employed in securing information and retrieving it from memory. Information that has common factors is often remembered in clusters of related facts.

Since memory storage is a hardwired recollection it tend to be similar across cultures. Even very different cultural groups tend to have similar display and patterns in immediate recall of memory (Whethrick & Deregowski, 1982). However, what is recalled depend on cultural experience and is determined by cultural values as well as socioeconomic differences that produce advantage or disadvantage for recall. Better recall occurs for subjects with which we are familiar and that is consistent with our existing knowledge (Ciborski & Choi, 1974; Harris, Schoen, & Hensley, 1992).

Since we have so many memory aids in modern society, not least the computer, do people who depend on oral traditions have better memory recall? Some research supports this proposition, but the results are mixed (Ross & Milton, 1970). Education makes a difference since in the class room children are often asked to memorize and apply memory skills to test situations. Since memory depend on hardwiring of the brain people everywhere show the effects of aging, and memory function decrease with increasing age in all cultures investigated (Crook, Youngjohn, Larrabee & Salama, 1992). However, on the whole there does not appear strong influence of culture on structural memory. Among the control factors education seem to be a primary contributor along with urbanization (Wagner, 1978; Jahoda, 1981).

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 764