Chapter 5 Retrieval Processes

I have a hard time remembering people's names: I know it's more of an encoding problem, but honestly, this a problem with people I have known very well! If I don't see them for a while (from 3 months to a year or longer), I'll recognize their face and recall all sorts of weird, esoteric facts about them, but when it comes to their name, I draw a blank! In college, I left for the summer having a crush on this one girl, let's call her Allison (because I'm not 100% sure that's her name anyway!). When I came back to school three months later, I bumped into her at a party, and we talked for quite a bit: but I couldn't remember her name! I asked one of my girl friends, and she just laughed at me, "Don't you have a crush on her?!" "Well, yea, but I haven't seen her in like 3 months!" This lends me to believe that I also have a retrieval problem!

McDougall's Threshold Theory actually made sense to me even though it's an outdated theory. If I apply this theory to my name conundrum, then it makes a bit of sense. "[The] 'threshold' hypothesis held that both recognition and recall performance depend on the strength of information in memory" (Bruning, 98) The two threshold levels, recognition and recall, differ only in this "strength of information" where recognition required less information strength than recall. Therefore, my brain assigns less information strength to names than other pieces of information like computer parts , cool game button combinations, and faces.

However, chapter 5 goes on to explain how memory is a bit more complicated than that. In the dual process model of recall, recall and recognition are no different: one requires "much more extensive memory search" than the other. Recall and recognition of memories need points of access: the more points of access, the easier it is to recognize or recall the correct answer. The example given in the chapter: "Who was president after Madison?" and "Was Monroe the president after Madison?" The first question is pure recall as it offers no other mental clues to search ones memory except Madison's name. The second question tests recognition as it gives you two points of access: Monroe and Madison. With more points of access, one could search his or her memory in a much more extensive manner: it is a lot easier to remember that Monroe came after Madison instead of having to just recall the name of Madison's successor.

As for my name retrieval problems, I don't think either model "helps" me with my problem. Although with the dual process model, I might not be recognizing all of my points of access: I may need to recall different things associated with that person...I don't think it's a stretch, but I really do think my problem is an encoding/practice problem (where I should take time everyday to think about the people I know, and maybe look at pictures, etc., to keep my memory fresh.)