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Common problem memory tasks, grouped by domain:.
Knowledge memory:.
remembering information you have studied. .
remembering words .
Identity memory:.
trying to put a name to a face .
trying to put a face to a name .
trying to remember who someone is .
wanting to remember someone's personal details .
Event memory:.
remembering whether youve done something .
remembering where youve put something .
remembering when/where something happened .
remembering important dates .
Planning memory:.
remembering to do something at a particular time .
knowing there's something you need to remember but you cant think what it is .
Skill memory:.
trying to remember how to do something .
Identity memory .
Recognizing a person is a complex matter. .
There are several different types of memory code for identity information. These include:.
structural codes .
semantic codes .
visually-derived semantic codes .
name codes .
The interesting thing about these different memory codes is that it appears that they can only be accessed in a particular order. This is part of the reason names are so much harder to recall - they're at the end of the chain.
Improving your memory for people requires you to improve the connections between these memory codes. .
Difficulty in remembering people's names is one of the most common memory tasks that people wish to be better at. And the reason for this is not that their memory is poor, but because it is so embarrassing when their memory lets them down.
This isnt just an issue at a personal level. It's a particular issue for anyone who has to deal with a lot of people, many of whom they will see at infrequent intervals. Nothing makes a person a client, a customer, a student feel more valued than being remembered. .
But we have, in fact, a remarkably good memory for other people's faces. Think about the ease with which you distinguish between hundreds, even thousands, of human faces, and then think about how hard it is to distinguish between the faces of birds, or dogs, or monkeys.
