There was an interesting article on memory I read a last week, and I meant to make note of it, but… errr… forgot. So after the subject came up elsewhere, I’m going to mention it now… before I forget again.

…memory is of two minds–that is, memories are captured and recorded separately and differently in two distinct parts of the mind.

They say children depend more heavily on a part of the mind that records, “what actually happened,” while adults depend more on another part of the mind that records, “the meaning of what happened.” As a result, they say, adults are more susceptible to false memories…

The two types of memory are called “gist trace” and “verbatim trace.”

Now the article focuses upon court cases and witness reliability, but I think this information is interesting on a broader level.

First, it may help to explain why people remember the same incident in very different ways.

Secondly, it may further explain why memories from childhood are so vivid, while later memories are less so. And why when one starts to lose their memory, those vivid memories of childhood are the ones that stick around the longest.