Memory: networking association

Summary: [You might view the earlier post “Memory: recalling significance” before this.] Memory is crucial for survival. Neural ‘networks’ help us make sense of our surroundings, and choose actions we think are appropriate.


All living beings are concerned with survival one way or another. In rapidly changing environment, the ability to detect novel events, respond to them and remember them is crucial.

Neural networks

Researchers explain that within our memory, changes occur in neural processing at the cellular and synaptic levels of the nerves.

The nerve endings grow and connect to form networks between centres in the brain that can be quickly activated. They guide us to our action choices.

Complex interactions

The links on the network may be formed quite unconsciously.

Interactions among people becomes complex and unpredictable because their mental maps include representations of internal somatic states, knowledge about the self, perceptions of others, attitudes, motivations, learning and so on.

All of these aspects contribute to influence social functioning by association.

Emotional outcomes

The networks link closely to our emotional outcomes. These may be positive like happiness or interest, or negative like fear or threat. When that particular section of the network is activated, our associated feelings are also aroused.

We thus relate in different ways to specific things, like individuals, groups, subjects, topics or other concepts. Or even react to certain distinctive features about them like strong or weak, nurturing or insensitive.

Concepts and theories

The networks also activate our attitudes, and concepts of self and social groups. We build our own unique theories about the world from them, with which we explain our thoughts and determine our actions.

These develop from earlier experiences, exposure to new information, and priming whereby we make meaningful associations - meaningful to us, that is.

The networks can be activated by external or internal stimulation. Obviously then, no two people hold identical views on all issues.

Our subsequent experiences strengthen or weaken our concepts. Sometimes this happens directly by the external stimuli, and sometimes indirectly by association to other concepts that are already active.

Schemas - tactics for ‘survival’

The ‘networks’ provide us with the social knowledge crucial for quick working references, so we make sense of our present surroundings.

We build schemas from learning and experiences that we store in our memory bank. This is information we recollect for clues on how to react in new or similar situations.

For example, in Asian families and societies, people are taught from childhood to respect and obey those elder in age or social hierarchy. Those from this socio-cultural tradition would respond first up to elders or authority even in the workplace in similar fashion.

Our past memories energize our present thinking. Our eventual actions tend to depend largely on networks and schemas then activated. Thus our memory powers our survival instincts in any condition, situation and context.

Comments/Opinions Anyone??