The Six R's of Remembering

Although complex and multifaceted, memory can be distilled into a small set of very fundamental principles the six R's of memory. The first is recoding, whereby what is actually experienced is transformed on its way into memory with the goal of establishing associations that enrich memory. The second is rehearsal, whereby what has been experienced (and likely recoded) is reviewed with the goal of strengthening memory. The third is relearning, whereby memory is enhanced by reexperiencing, without the necessity of awareness. The fourth is reminding, whereby the encoding of an event invokes the memory of a related previous event, which in turn benefits remembering. The fifth is retrieval, whereby what has already entered memory is recollected, typically with the goal of responding but also with significant implications for subsequent remembering. The sixth is reconstruction, whereby the components of episodes are assembled for the purpose of recollection and where the use of schemata and associations alters memory. Together, these six processes capture much of the richness and power of memory.