Research Essay
Topic: How Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Affects Memory
Name: Davinder Singh
Student Number: N01529683
Due Date: 15/04/2022
Course title and Code: Psychology: Introduction - PSYC-150-0LC
, “Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychologists use the
scientific method – asking questions, collecting data, and drawing conclusions from the
evidence – to examine people’s thoughts, emotions, and actions” (Zangeneh, 2022,
p.2). Within psychology, there are 7 major phases, and one of them is cognitive
psychology. Memory, reasoning, and language are among the essential mental
processes studied in cognitive psychology. With the understanding of what psychology
is, this research essay will demonstrate how cognitive psychology correlates to memory,
and how trauma can affect memory.
In the following essay, I will specifically examine the question of how post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects memory. I will begin by explaining the process
of memory formation. This will demonstrate how the memory storage process starts
and how we store memory in our brain. The following page after will provide insight on
PTSD and its impact of it on a human. Then, we will explore how various forms of
trauma from PTSD can affect memory.
Memory
The ability to retain information, store it, and retrieve it later can be referred to as
memory. Memories occur when specific groups of neurons are reactivated. In the brain,
any stimulus results in a particular pattern of neuronal activity certain neurons become
active in a particular sequence. Encoding, storing, and retrieving information are the
three basic functions of our memory. Encoding is the process of storing information in
our memory system using either automatic or manual processing. Storage is the act of
retaining information, whereas retrieval is the act of bringing information out of storage
and into conscious awareness through recall, recognition, and relearning.
Topic: How Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Affects Memory
Name: Davinder Singh
Student Number: N01529683
Due Date: 15/04/2022
Course title and Code: Psychology: Introduction - PSYC-150-0LC
, “Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychologists use the
scientific method – asking questions, collecting data, and drawing conclusions from the
evidence – to examine people’s thoughts, emotions, and actions” (Zangeneh, 2022,
p.2). Within psychology, there are 7 major phases, and one of them is cognitive
psychology. Memory, reasoning, and language are among the essential mental
processes studied in cognitive psychology. With the understanding of what psychology
is, this research essay will demonstrate how cognitive psychology correlates to memory,
and how trauma can affect memory.
In the following essay, I will specifically examine the question of how post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects memory. I will begin by explaining the process
of memory formation. This will demonstrate how the memory storage process starts
and how we store memory in our brain. The following page after will provide insight on
PTSD and its impact of it on a human. Then, we will explore how various forms of
trauma from PTSD can affect memory.
Memory
The ability to retain information, store it, and retrieve it later can be referred to as
memory. Memories occur when specific groups of neurons are reactivated. In the brain,
any stimulus results in a particular pattern of neuronal activity certain neurons become
active in a particular sequence. Encoding, storing, and retrieving information are the
three basic functions of our memory. Encoding is the process of storing information in
our memory system using either automatic or manual processing. Storage is the act of
retaining information, whereas retrieval is the act of bringing information out of storage
and into conscious awareness through recall, recognition, and relearning.
