Class 12 Education Chapter 5 (A) Memory and Forgetting The answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters SCERT Class 12 Sociology Class 12 Education Chapter 5 (A) Memory and Forgetting and select need one.
Class 12 Education Chapter 5 (A) Memory and Forgetting
Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board/NCERT Class 12 Education Chapter 5 (A) Memory and Forgetting Solutions for All Subject, You can practice these here.
| Sl. No. | Contents |
| Chapter 1 | Secondary Education in India and Assam |
| Chapter 2 | Non-Formal Education |
| Chapter 3 | Current Trends in Education |
| Chapter 4 | Learning |
| Chapter 5 | (A) Memory and Forgetting |
| Chapter 5 | (B) Attention and Interest |
| Chapter 6 | Mental Health & Hygiene |
| Chapter 7 | Educational Statistics |
QUESTIONS FOR 5 MARK EACH
Q.1 . What is memory ? Describe its mechanism .
Ans :- Meaning of memory :- Whatever is experienced by a person is preserved in the mind which is endowed with the power of preserving past experiences . This helps a person in remembering his past experiences . Memory is the power of recollection or reproduction of past events . Memory is a complex process involving several factors like learning or registration , retention , recall , recognition .
Characteristics of good memory :- Psychologists have put forward the following marks of qualities of a good memory .
( i ) Ability to learn quickly :- For a good memory , it is necessary to put forward to learn anything quickly . A child who is able to learn anything quickly , is supposed to possess good memory .
( ii ) Keeping a thing in mind for long :- For a good memory , it is not necessary to learn a thing only but it is also necessary that it shall they can recollect and remember , as and when required , the ideas be retained for long . Some people have such a strong memory that of infancy or childhood .
( iii ) Quickness , in recollections :- If it is possible to learn quickly, retain it , but if it takes long to recall , as and when required , the memory shall not be called good . For a good memory , it is also necessary to recall it as an when required .
( iv ) Forgetting unnecessary things :- For a good memory it is necessary to forget unnecessary things . If a person continues to remember unpleasant incidents and unnecessary things there is likelihood of his working capacity getting slack and weak .
( v ) Utility of usefulness :- It is an essential mark of quality of good memory . If our memory is useful at a proper moment , then our memory shall be called useful and good . If we are able to reproduce answers correctly in the examination , then our memory shall be called good .
Q.2 . What is memory ? Give a few definitions of memory .
Ans :- Memory may be described as the power of reproduction or recollection of past events . It is the ability or faculty of remembering . Memory is a complex process involving several factors like hearing or registration , retention , recall and recognition .
Definition of Memory :-
( i ) WoodWorth regards memory as involving learning , retention , recall and recognition .
( ii ) Spearman remarked about memory as ‘ cognitive events by occurring to establish disposition which facilitate recurrence .
‘The mind has the power to conserve past experiences or after effects of activity and reproduce them whenever needed . The capacity to conserve the past is known as “ memory ‘ .
According to James S. Ross – ” A memory is a new experience determined by dispositions laid down by a previous experience . The relation between the two being clearly apprehended . ”
According to W.M. Ryburn – ” The power that we have to store experiences and bring them into the field of consciousness something after the experience have occured is turned memory ‘
According to William Mc Dougall – ” In the strictest or narrowest sense memory or remembering implies imagining of events as the experienced in the past . “
Q.3. Define memory . What are the three things that are necessary for memory to occur .
Ans :- Memory may be described as the power of reproduction recollection of past events . It is the ability or faculty of remembering Memory is a complex process involving several factors like hearing or registration , retention , recall and recognition .
Different factors of memory :- Following are the factors of memory –
( i ) Registration :- Registration is the impression of experiences . The experiences must be imprinted on the mind to remember .
( ii ) Retention :- It means what is learnt or experienced is retained or kept in the mind . It depends upon frequency , recency and interest . If the experience is repeated frequently we remember well or in other words, we remember well .
( iii ) Recall :- Recall is the reproduction of the past experience . Recall is of two types , spontaneous and deliberate .
( iv ) Recognition :- Recognition is the mental procession power of identifying what is recalled . A person’s power of recognition is greater than his power of recall .
Q.4 . Mention some characteristics of memory .
Ans :- Characteristics of good memory :- Psychologists have put forward the following marks of qualities of a good memory .
( i ) Ability to learn quickly :- For a good memory , it is necessary to learn anything quickly . A child who is able to learn anything quickly , is supposed to possess good memory .
( ii ) Keeping a thing in mind for long :- For a good memory , it is not necessary to learn a thing only but it is also necessary that it shall be retained for long . Some people have such a strong memory that they can recollect and remember , as and when required , the ideas of infancy or childhood .
( iii ) Quickness in recollections :- If it is possible to learn quickly, retain it , but if it takes long to recall , as and when required , the memory shall not be called good . For a good memory , it is also necessary to recall it as an when required .
( iv ) Forgetting unnecessary things :- For a good memory it is necessary to forget unnecessary things . If a person continues to remember unpleasant incidents and unnecessary things there is likelihood of his working capacity getting slack and weak .
( V ) Utility of usefulness :- It is an essential mark of quality of good memory . If our memory is useful at a proper moment , then our memory shall be called useful and good . If we are able to reproduce answers correctly in the examination , then our memory shall be called good .
Q.5 . What are the makes of good memory ?
Ans :- Success of education largely depends on the right use of memory . It is necessary to adopt good and useful processes to remember the things learnt in the class . For a good memory the following factors can be great help .
( i ) Interest :- Interest plays a vital role in remembering things . If we have interest in certain things the memory of those things becomes vivid and lasts long .
( ii ) Rhythm :- Rhythmic recitation of poems , good tune of songs interest us and help our memory . This results in good memory . We can easily remember good poems and songs because of rhythm .
( ii ) Repetition :- If we repeat what we learn we can remember it better . So repetition is essential for good memory .
( iv ) Suitable Method :- The teacher should use a suitable method of teaching to improve memory of children .
( v ) Rest :- Some amount of rest is necessary for good memory . If we load our brain with many things without any rest then memorising becomes difficult .
( vi ) Space or gap :- There should be some gap between learning things . If we go on learning one thing after another we become confused , which makes memorising difficult .
( vii ) Vividness of impression :- If the original impression is vivid or clear it is retained for a long time .
( viii ) Motivation :- We must have the will to remember .
( ix ) Good environment :- People can remember better in a good environment .
( x ) Good health :- A sound mind in a sound body can remember better.
Q.6. What is Recall ? Describe some Psychological factors related with recall .
Ans :- Recall is nothing but the mental revival of past events . Recall depends upon retention and the formation of association or bonds between different impressions and ideas . Recall is of two types –
( i ) Spontaneous Recall and
( ii ) Deliberate Recall .
In spontaneous recall the impression comes to our mind spontaneously i.e. without any effort . But in Deliberate Recall , will is needed to bring back some impression to the conscious level of mind .
Here the individual needs a better ability of keeping image in mind called retentiveness . If the power of retaining is more , the image may be kept alive and active in mind . Weakness of this power results in fading out of the image from mind . It is a difficult form of remembering which involves keeping and reviving the image of the post .
Q.7 . What is forgetting ? Mention its characteristics .
Ans :- Forgetting may be described as inability to remember something . To be more precise forgetting is the failure of the individual to revive in consciousness the impressions of the past experiences without the help of the original stimulus . If an individual fails to revive the image of the learning mind , forgetting may take place .
Characteristics of forgetting :-
( i ) Forgetting is an inability of our mind to keep the image of experience in it .
( ii ) Forgetting acts as a defence mechanism of mind .
( iii ) Forgetting is described as an essential condition of our learning and remembering .
Q.8 . Explain how memory can be improved .
Ans :- This is a highly debatable question . The experts are divided in their opinion on this question . Some believe that memory can be improved while others think that there is no way to improve memory .
William James believes that retentiveness is a physiological ability and hence unchangeable . It is the power of learning , not the power of retention , that is improved by practice .
Stout , on the other hand , argues that memory can be improved but only in a special direction . By long practice the actors remember their parts well . The postman can remember the name and address of people because of special practise and training .
Although some hold the view that memory is hereditary and fixed at birth , through suitable methods and practice memory can be improved . So the teacher should help the child make the best use of what little memory he has . It must also be remembered that the teacher must be able to arouse interest in the class . When the child finds the teaching interesting he pays more attention which helps in memorisation . Suitable method of teaching helps memorisation .
Q.9 . Write five important causes of forgetting .
Ans :- Some of the major causes of forgetting may be described as follows :
( i ) Lapse of time :- The impressions left by experiences in our nervous system gradually disappear in course of time . Ebbinghaus was the pioneer of the experiments on the subject of forgetting due to the lapse of time .
( ii ) Lack of interest :- Lack of interest is an important cause of forgetting as it prevents subsequent recall . So , the teacher should try to create interest in the class .
( iii ) Old age :- A general physical cause of forgetting may be attributed to the old age of an individual . An old man may experience general nervous weakness and physical inactivity for which he fails to keep the image of experience in mind .
( iv ) Over learning :- According to Ebbinghaus overlearning beyond a certain point may cause – inattention , boredom and fatigue which may again cause forgetting in some cases .
( v ) Retroactive inhibition :- If immediately after learning a lesson we learn a new lesson the new learning inhibits the retention of the previous learning .
( vi ) Fatigue :- Physical and mental fatigue is a common cause of forgetting . Fatigue brings about nervous weakness and muscular Inactivity for which the image of experience could not be kept alive in forgetting mind .
( vii ) Closure :- Closure of an activity may also cause forgetting. Whenever an activity is continued there is tension in the mind . But if it is closed the tension is reduced and gradually the mind forgets about it .
( viii ) Emotional blocking :- Too severe of emotion may stand as a blockade in our mind , that disturbs normal functions of memory Emotion like fear , anger and disgust in an individual may result in blocking of the memory experiences .
Q.10 . Discuss about different types of memory .
Ans :- Psychologists have recognised six types of memory . These are described below : –
( i ) Immediate memory :- Immediate memory is the power to reproduce the impression immediately . It helps us to retain the impressions of knowledge or experience for a very short time . Writing dictation falls under this category . We listen to what is dictated to us , then we write down . This type of memory is called immediate memory , because we reproduce immediately .
( ii ) Permanent memory :- Permanent memory involves the retention of impression for a pretty long time and depends upon the formation of mental disposition . We can reproduce the impression after a long time in permanent memory in this type of memory . There is a long duration between learning and its reproduction . A dancer learns his or her lessons of dancing . Cancer can perform the dance after a long time . It means that if we can remember the things that we had learnt or seen even after a very long time then it is called permanent memory . The children have the ability of prolonged retention .
( iii ) Desultory memory :- This kind of memory involves the remembrance of a great number of facts . Some people can remember a great number of facts by reading newspapers , magazines , history , novels etc. This kind of memory falls under desultory memory .
( iv ) Logical memory :- This kind of memory involves the ability to conserve meaningful facts and impressions . It requires understanding and intelligence. Doing mathematical sums involves intelligence and power of understanding. If falls under Logical Memory.
( v ) Rate memory :- It is the capacity to reproduce past experiences mechanically without any deliberate effort. This kind of memory largely depends on habit and so it is called habit memory also. Examples are furnished by car driving, bicycling, type writing etc. Here by doing the same thing over and again the learner does it habitually in the long run. It does not involve mental power.
(vi) Special memory :- The power of retention of special facts, numbers, date etc. is called special memory. Some people like telephone operators can easily remember telephone numbers, others fact of history, dates etc. These are called special memories.
It is now seen that we have different kinds of memory. Memory depends on interest. If we have interest in certain things we remember them easily. If we are interested in cricket we remember the names of great cricketers, their scores etc.
Q.11. Can memory be improved by practice? Discuss.
Ans :- Can memory be improved by practice :- Everyone is vitally interested in the question whether memory can be improved by practice or not.
Stout contends that memory can be improved, but only in special directions. By long practice the actors come to remember and recall their part. But effects of practice are strictly confined to the special field and do not spread to other fields of work.
According to James retentiveness is a physiological ability, so it cannot be improved by practice. Learning is a factor of memory. So, improvement of learning of recording facts indirectly helps memorisation.
William Mc Dougall had maintained that memory can be improved by practice. He had given his views on the basis of the result of his memory experiment.
From the above consideration it may be maintained that general Improvement of memory ability or power of retaining is not possible through training, although certain favourable conditions help individuals in making effective use of his memory.
Q.12. Discuss about different methods for memory training.
Ans: This is a highly debatable question. The experts are divided in their opinion on this question. Some believe that memory can be improved while others think that there is no way to improve memory.
William James believes that retentiveness is a physiological ability and hence unchangeable. It is the power of learning, not the power of retention, that is improved by practice. Stout, on the other hand, argues that memory can be improved but only in a special direction. By long practice the actors remember their parts well. The postman can remember the name and address of people because of special practise and training.
Although some hold the view that memory is hereditary and fixed at birth, through suitable methods and practice memory can be improved. So the teacher should help the child make the best use of what little memory he has. It must also be remembered that the teacher must be able to arouse interest in the class. When the child finds the teaching interesting he pays more attention which helps in memorisation. Suitable method of teaching helps memorisation.
Q.13. Can there be good or bad memories? Justify your answer.
Ans :- Memory plays a very significant role in one’s life. Hence everybody wants to have a good memory. But that doesn’t happen. Power of remembering varies from person to person. Some have very good memories and some have weak memories.
All people do not have equal ability to exercise memory. Following are certain distinguishing characteristics of good memory.
( i ) Ease and rapidity of learning :- A man of good memory can learn and acquire anything easily. He does not have any difficulty in learning which he wants to remember.
( ii ) Permanence of retention :- Long duration of retention is a distinguishing mark of good memory. Ability of retention helps an individual to keep his learning impression in mind for a long period of time.
(iii) Promptness and accuracy of reproduction :- A man of good memory can reproduce anything immediately without any effort.
(iv) Serviceability :- Good memory of a person finds expression through serviceability. Serviceability of our past experiences alone can help us to make effective use of memory.
Q.14. Discuss about different economic methods of memorization.
Ans :- The different economic methods of memorization are :-
( a ) Intention to reproduce :- The willingness of children to reproduce something learned improves the capacity for their memory.
( b ) Suitable method :- The teacher should select the most suitable method of memorisation in the class.
( c ) Interest :- Interest is an important factor of good memory. So the teacher should try to create interest among the students.
( d ) Rhythmic learning :- Rhythmic learning helps rote memory. Correct recitation gives us pleasure to recall the learned material.
( c ) Special practice :- For better memorisation practice period should be properly distributed and spaced.
Q.15. Supposing yourself as a school teacher, how would you help a child to develop a good memory?
Ans :- Memory can be improved through two channels :-
( a ) Favourable conditions which improve remembering.
( b ) Improved methods which enhance memory.
( a ) Favourable conditions which improve remembering:-
( i ) Will to learn :- Intention to learn and concentration gives longer retention and better recall.
( ii ) Interest :- Interest is an essential condition for effective learning and memorizations.
(iii) Motivation :- Motivation facilitates learning and enhances memory.
(iv) Principle of association :- The principle of association is very helpful in remembering and recall sometimes special techniques and devices are to be used that facilitate learning and recall eg. VIBGYOR.
( v ) Rhythm :- Rhythm is an aid to memory. Rhythmic materials can easily stimulate the mind to keep its impression lively.
( vi ) Meaningfulness of material :- Meaningfulness of materials is important in effective learning and longer retention.
(vii) Rest :- Rest is an essential psycho-physical condition of learning and remembering. It can remove fatigue and boredom.
( b ) Improved methods :- ( i ) Recitation :- It is an important technique to affect the economy in memory. It means speaking and reciting to oneself.
( ii ) Whole method :- it is more economical for memory. Learning part by part makes the impression fragmentary and short lived.
( iii ) Spaced learning :- It is psychologically sound to reasonably space the learning time by giving some intervals.
( iv ) Learning by doing :- Learning by doing active learning is obviously superior to passive learning. Active learning makes the learning impression alive and active in mind for long.
( v ) Repetition and practice :- Repetition on practice strengthens the bond in learning to keep its impression for long. It utilizes the image for which forgetting cannot have its impact on memory.
Q.16. Explain the term interference. How does it affect forgetting?
Ans :- Interference is a psychological condition experienced by everybody. In the opinion of S.S. Chauhan, “Retroactive inhibition means that something works backward to block something else,:” This kind of mental blocking happens when two different subjects are learnt without providing any time gap thus if one subject is learnt, immediately after learning another, a kind of mental blocking develops. When the person tries to remember the first experience, the second experience creates a shadow and becomes like an obstacle in recollection of the first.
Thus retroactive inhibition is an important cause of forgetting.
Suggestion to overcome forgetting :-
( i ) Change of environment is a reliable means to remove forgetting. In the new environment one may adjust his mental power with the surrounding things and may recollect many things.
( ii ) Lack of interest is one of the vital causes of forgetting. Parents and teachers should try to create interest in students in various subjects.
( iii ) Use of medicine, regular exercises and Yogasana go a long way in overcoming forgetfulness.
Hi, I’m Dev Kirtonia, Founder & CEO of Dev Library. A website that provides all SCERT, NCERT 3 to 12, and BA, B.com, B.Sc, and Computer Science with Post Graduate Notes & Suggestions, Novel, eBooks, Biography, Quotes, Study Materials, and more.
