Recollection

Memory is the mental reliving of past events and experiences.

Memories of episodes ( = experience ) come from the autobiographical memory and different from the knowledge of episodes ( = events).

Active memory

This can be done actively by means of memory by trying to remember an incident, such as when checking the own memory contents ( " What was that then? Remember? " ) Or in a witness statement. Memories come from the sequential long-term memory, episodic memory. They are found there in a compressed form and have to be prepared for activation. Depending on the type of memory is possible with almost perceived as a photographic sharpness, or you can only remember vaguely.

Memories are primarily multimedia: they contain pictorial elements, scenes that run like a movie, sounds and timbres, often smells and especially feelings.

Events that one has experienced similar and often merge with time to a mental schema and then no more often than individual memory recall ( assimilation ( Psychology ) ).

Spontaneous memory

The mental revival of past events and experiences can also occur spontaneously, by a feeling, a thought or a perception recalls by association to an earlier experience.

See also self -memory system of Conway and Pleydell - Pearce.

Impaired memory

• Memories that are occurring under hypnosis or drugs not reliable (David G.Myers 2008).
• Memories from the first 3 years of life are not reliable.
• Memories can stir up emotionally, without this they conform to actual experiences (see anger).