Visual memory operates by acquired and
created visual information from reality and that information is images. There are a lot of images of seeing,
hearing, smelling in human memory. Images are similar to images of objects that
are acquired in the process of perception. They differ from understanding in a
sense that they are not so sharp, fragmentary and not stable. Images are
divided into sorts according to sensory organs. We can also differentiate
between individual and general images. Individual are those that are images of
one specific object.
General images locate bigger
or smaller general features of object groups. Visual memory can be unconscious.
Special feature of unconscious memory is that a person can remember and recall
things without trying and sometimes even unwillingly. This is how very clear
and important impressions are remembered. Strong emotions such as joy, fear and
loathing help unconscious memory. Unconscious remembering and recalling is an
early form of memory in personality development. We unconsciously store a lot
of life experiences without any troublesome efforts not only in childhood, but
also entire adulthood.
However, conscious memory
has a much more important role in human life. It is expressed by human
consciously setting a goal to remember and recall something and is making a lot
of efforts to achieve the target. One specific feature of conscious memory is
participation of certain motives that stimulate remembering and recalling
processes.
Visual memory can be both
conscious and unconscious and remembering and recalling of motions can be
connected to verbal instructions, remembered images of observed motions and
etc.
There are various kinds of
impressions: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and sensing. These various
impressions are tangled into more or less complex combinations – reflections
and images. Some may want to know what impressions we remember better (seeing,
hearing or motion) when we want to memorize more complex combinations.
Visual (optical) is the
first type of memory. Visual memories of impressions tend to dominate in
reminiscences of this type of memory. It is easier to remember what has been
seen. All of us have it to some degree and need to develop. If you have read some
book for a few times you can probably remember some passages and can clearly
say whether it was in the middle of the book, right or left side of the page,
middle or bottom. This is prerogative of visual memory.
The second type is audio
(acoustic). People who have this type of memory best remember hearing
impressions. If you have more advanced acoustic type of memory you’d probably
remember quite well music melody, lots of sounds in the nature and to tell the truth you might
become quite a good musician.
The third type is motion. People who have this type of memory better remember everything that is connected with motions. The blind usually remember things this way.