This involves applying our knowledge of the world around us as well as other cognitive processes. Perception is a continuous cycle, in which what we expect to see affects what we look for and vice versa. Storage:Information received is simply held in preparation for some future occasion. As we are storing this information in our sub conscious, it is referred to as long term memory (LTM). The information is stored here ready to be recalled later. LTM holds a vast quantity of information and can be stored for long periods of time. The information kept in our LTM is diverse and wide ranging and it includes all of our personal memories, general knowledge and our beliefs of the world. It also holds our plans for the future and it is the depository for all our knowledge on skills and expertise.Research suggests that we often use semantic categories to help us in our LTM and that visual imagery provides another method. Psychology at AS Level, Cardwell, Clarke & Meldrum, 2nd edition, Harper Collins Ltd 2000, London, Page 6.Researchers have found that LTM had distinctive characteristics. Tulving (1972) made a distinction between episodic and semantic memory. Episodic being the memory for facts, events and episodes, whereas semantic being the 'how to' memory - how to catch a train, how to understand the person talking to you, how to make a cup of tea. However in 1972, Attkinson and Shiffrin produced a theory, which they proposed that all information pass into the short-term memory first. Most of it is then lost or displaced by other information coming in. Finally , Retrieval:The output stage, where information is retrieved from storage. Most of the time, everyday memory only concerns things that we already know something about. With this in mind, even from the very beginning when psychologists started their studies, their experimental studies of the memory process had some barriers and weaknesses.However, this work was not totally useles...
