Memory
Description
The smartest thinking modes (procedural, intuition, reasoning) make use of memory. Emotion is also affected by memory, if only because of its relationship with those thinking modes.
If our experience is not typical of reality, our memory will also be unbalanced. This can happen in various ways; for example:
- Our experience is limited. For example, because we’re most familiar with people similar to us, we will ‘remember’ that most people are similar to us. Our personal experience is a tiny fraction of everything that ever happened anywhere.
- By reading and listening, we can give ourselves memories of events that we didn't personally experience. However, memories based on our own experience are likely to seem more important to us. Experiencing war can give you Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); reading about it can’t.
- Our memory can be unduly influenced by rare but extreme events, such as those reported in the media.
Any such imbalances in our memory can adversely affect thinking modes that depend on it.
Examples
Examples.
Mistaken Identity
Eyewitness testimony is not as reliable as we might expect. A clear case is the rape of Jennifer Thompson in 1984. Initially, Thompson tentatively identified Ronald Cotton as the assailant, saying "I think this is the guy". Over time, she was required to repeat the statement to investigators, and also saw Cotton in court. Those subsequent events reinforced Thompson's memory that Cotton was guilty. On the basis of Thomson's evidence, Cotton was sent to prison.
However, over a decade later, DNA evidence revealed that Cotton was not guilty. The actual perpetrator was identified and confessed.
Thompson’s memory had been affected by events after her rape, which caused her to become certain of something that wasn't true.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear disasters are newsworthy and memorable. Most people have heard of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. On the other hand, we don't hear about the times that nuclear power stations operate safely. This imbalance causes us to 'remember' that nuclear power is extremely risky.
Over 400 nuclear power stations are currently in service. Per unit of electricity produced, fossil fuels cause over 500 times more deaths than nuclear power does. Even wind power causes more deaths than nuclear power.
(The point of this section is not to suggest that we should use more nuclear power. The point is that our memory may not be accurate.)
Related Issues
This section describes similarities and differences between this issue and related problem factors and thinking traps.
Scope
We can only remember things we’ve experienced. Our experience can include learning from other people, but such memories won’t be as deeply ingrained. For problems with large scopes (element, action, outcome, relationship and/or time), our memories are unlikely to include everything relevant. In such cases, over-reliance on memory will result in overlooking parts of the problem.
Novelty
Conclusions that we draw from our recollections may not apply to situations we haven't encountered before. We must be careful not to underestimate change.
Intuition
Intuition is based on memory, so foibles in our memory can make our intuition less reliable.
Emotion
Emotions can be based on our past experiences. If our memory of a past experience is inaccurate, emotions that arise from it may be misleading.
In addition to recollection of a situation, our memory can include past emotional responses to that situation. If those emotions were misleading in the past, having our memory resurface them isn't helpful.
Familiarity Bias
Familiarity bias arises when we put the needs of people (etc) that we know above the needs of others. However, the individuals in our memories are not necessarily more in need than others.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias reinforces our memory of things we currently believe, and restricts our exposure to experiences that could build up memories that support alternative beliefs. It therefore risks locking in memories that are not necessarily correct or balanced.
Related Engine Processes
Later, we will describe a thinking framework that comprises multiple processes. This section points forward to the processes that deal with this page's topic.
Option Generation
Decision-making often requires us to identify different actions we could take, which we then decide between. Memory can be a double-edged sword in this process: we may be able to remember actions that have been taken previously in similar situations, but it can also inhibit creativity because we may only think of what's been done before.
To Do
Murdered Darlings
Rejected content.