Website Outline: Why do we remember certain memories?

- The Psychology Behind Memories

Research Proposal- ​For my project, I plan to work on answering the question- why do we
remember certain memories? I will research the psychology behind memories and how they
influence our behavior and habits. I am very interested in this topic because I have always
wondered how our memories, especially ones that we remember the most have a particular
meaning in our lives and how they shape and change us into typically stronger individuals. My
goal is to figure out how memories represent our identities. I plan to add images that illustrate
sensory memories and maybe videos of sounds that people remember so that the viewer can
really think of their own memories and also feel connected to the topic. For my standpoint, I will
include sensory memories to make it sound more relatable, my own memories, and how I think
my personal memories affected me as a person and made me grow. I will also maybe ask
people about what their most earliest memories were and ask them if it had any significance to
them.

Standpoint (Tab)- ​Growing up, I have always wondered why we remember certain memories
and if there is a deeper meaning to them that we don’t know about. Do memories affect our
actions and habits? Do memories actually have a purpose on how we live our lives or are they
just there because of emotions that trigger us to remember them?
These are some questions that I will be addressing later on by going into depth behind the
psychology of memories, what they are associated to, how they affect our moods, and I will be
giving examples of some of my memories and my personal opinion on if I think that they play an
important role in who we identify ourselves and if they significantly change as as individuals.

Before we get into the psychology behind memories, I would like us to participate in the following sensory
activity, where we will recall our memories.

First, think of a memory from the last two weeks:

Here’s mine:​ I was sitting at a table at Dunkin Donuts next to the window. I took a glance out the window
and saw leaves blow across the streets slowly by calm gusts of wind. I turned and looked back at my cup
and smiled as I was hit with the smell of freshly brewed coffee traveling up my nose.Seconds later, my
older sister came back with a box of donuts. As she opened the box, my mouth watered as I stared at the
shiny smooth and creamy glazed donut, but then I saw a chocolate frosted sprinkle donut in the corner of
the box and I knew that was the one I was going to have. I admired how the frosting was perfectly coated
on the perfectly round and soft golden donut. I picked it up and took a bite. Seconds later, BOOM!
Explosions of sweetness entered my mouth and it felt as if the sprinkles had turned into angels that were
dancing on my tongue. That was when I knew, just like that, it was going to be a good day.

Now think of a memory from your childhood:

Here’s my earliest childhood memory​: I believe it was my second birthday. I was staring at the beautiful
light and airy vanilla sprinkled cake right in front of me. My older sister was lighting the candle and I was
directly eye level with the cake because it was sitting on a low table. The second she lit the candle my
eyes were focused on the bright yellow flame. At a young age, I didn’t really know what fire was, but I
remember being scared and backing up from the table.
Now let’s reflect on our memories​: you see yourself experiencing the memory again through your own
eyes or were you viewing yourself as an observer of the experience in a 3rd person point of view.
For my recent memory, I was able to view it clearly through my eyes, but for my childhood memory I felt
like I was someone else in a different body, watching from above. This is an interesting concept of
perspective that we will cover later.

Memories (Tab)-

- What are Memories?- ​How Memory Works- Harvard University Study

- Memories are basically like an internal record book of our personal pasts. Memories are
enhanced based on current moods
- Short term memory is only kept through constant repetition
- Long term memory has immense storage capacity
- Human cognition allows us to recall upon past events and frame our understanding of
our behavior in the present
- Memory allows us to have a framework that gives us a generally understanding of our
future and present
- Memory plays a crucial role in learning and teaching. The most important parts of the
memory involves the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval of the past.

- Memory and the Brain:

The human brain has over 100 billion neurons that are constantly communicating with each
other. The neurons send messages to each other through gaps called synapses. Long term
memories are built into the brain's synapses while short term memories are triggered by specific
events associated with that memory.
According to Nader and his colleagues from University of Washington ​Smithsonian Mag​,
“people tend to have accurate memories for the basic facts of a momentous events”

- How memories are formed, stored, and recalled

National Geographic​-
-sensory details are more likely to trigger the feels and create a stimulus when remembering a
memory
-long term memories are stored based on the process of memory consolidation which occurs
through several processes consisting of nerves modifying themselves to grow and communicate
with other nerves. The remodeling of the nerves allows for a stabilized memory
​Psychology Today​-
-Memories can be more easily recalled by medications during reconsolidation. Such
medications include those that could help treat conditions such as PTSD
-Stress hormones such as epinephrine consolidate the memory and trigger emotional
responses that could make a memory long term
-painful emotions experiences are often those that we recall the most because they take a
severe mental toll on our wellbeing
-mood memory- emotional states trigger us to recall experiences where we had a similar mood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSycdIx-C48

Effects of Emotions of Memory (Tab):

What is Emotion?- ​In simple terms, emotion is considered a cognitive process that plays a
significant role in perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving.
-Emotion is associated with a person’s ability to access their memory.
-Research suggests that when we experience emotions that are connected to distress, fear, and
anxiety, we are then put into a negative mindset which sometimes can take control of our
actions and control our conscious. Negative emotions trigger negative memories and it can
make us deter from participating in activities that we view as dangerous or risky. For example, if
we ever dealt with a memory where we did something wrong, we tend to remember these
memories most often because it is natural for a person to remember their faults and mistakes
because it leaves a significant emotional toll on a person. ​Psychology Today
-Feelings of happiness such as being in an area that is secure and safe may trigger positive
memories. For example, the comfort of our homes, which are considered to be warm and free of
threats, may make us feel risk averse because we often tend to stay within our comfort zones
when we are most

Forgetting- ​Do you ever wonder why we forget certain memories? After doing research it was
found in a study that particular experiences associated with that memory may only influence a
person’s ability to access that specific memory.
-Memories are therefore not fully forgotten because our minds prevent us from remembering it if
it would cause us to feel guilt, shame or any other negative emotion. The mind tends to repress
these feelings and memories because of how it negatively affected the person's mental health.
-Sometimes the mind recalls these memories so that a person can face and accept that memory
so that the issue can be resolved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLzFa-aiDmc

Factors that Affect Memory (Tab):

John Hopkins- Science of Memory
-bad food choices can affect our memory
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-bad-food-choices-may-affect-your-memory/
-nutritional food, getting enough sleep, and a good diet help improve the memory and its speed
-​https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/improving-memory
-having a strong support network and having a willingness to keep learning in order to stimulate
the mind helps improve our memory and health
-stress, depression, and anxiety damages the memory a lot and can cause distortions of
memories

Interview People (Tab)-

-ask people their opinions on memory and how it has shaped them to become who they are and
if they are willing to share a memory that represents an important part of their identity

Conclusion (Tab):
-reinforce the standpoint & your opinions

Other Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2676782/