Abstract
This project is based on the human memory model. A description of each of the model steps will be identified. While describing the steps, examples that illustrate the process will be given. Also, the factors that enhance or impede the flow of information in each step of the process and proactive and retroactive interference and how one counteract their effects; while studying in order to facilitate maximum retention via long-term memory. Finally, explanations of other kinds of forgetting and a discussion of strategies that can improve memory consolidation and retrieval will be discussed.

A theory of human memory should not only identify a set of processes and stores, but also be able to help answer questions such as how long it will take to retrieve accessible information and when information will be forgotten or inaccessible. To do this, the theory must specify properties of the processes and stores.
The basic memory processes are encoding, which is information that is coded or transformed so it can enter your memory. The second is storage. This stores and consolidates the information over time. And there’s retrieval, which allows you to get the information when needed. It’s important to know that when talking about encoding, there are three types: Acoustic meaning sounds, visuals meaning images and pictures, and semantic which gives meaning.
The process of the memory model is Sensory Memory, Short Term Memory, and Long Term Memory. Sensory memory holds the sensation of a sensory stimulus for a brief period of time after the stimulus ends (Valdosta, 2011). There are two types of sensory models: iconic and echoic. Iconic holds visual trace for about one second, for instance, the blink of an eye. Echoic holds memory trace for about two - four seconds. For example the last few words someone says or the last song you hear may echo in your mind. Sensory memory acts as buffers for stimuli received through the senses. Information is passed from sensory memory into short-term memory by attention, thereby filtering the stimuli to only those, which are of interest at a given time (Gatech, 2011). Then there is short-term memory. It is what you would be currently thinking about at any given moment. An example of this would be if a mother told her son to take the trash out. He would memory dump it as soon as the job was done. The encoding is mainly acoustic. Short-term memory usually holds limited amount of information for a short period of time; about twenty to thirty seconds. Things such as repetition can increase these amounts of time (Valdosta, 2011). This is also where you would find the processing of information. This little section breaks the information into meaningful groups; which are then added to the space that does something with the information. Long Term Memory is where the capacity of storage is unlimited (Mastin, 2010). Here is where the more meaningful memories are permanently embedded in your brain. A good example of this would be the street you grew up on or a best friend’s birthday.
Interference occurs when information gets confused with other information in our long-term memory. Interference can occur either retroactively or proactively. Retroactive interference occurs when previously learned information is lost because it is mixed up with new and somewhat similar information. For example, if you learn the contents of this chapter today, new information presented to you tomorrow could cause you to become confused about the contents of this chapter. A history student could study the causes and events of the American Revolutionary War and understand these thoroughly. Several weeks later the student could study the causes and events of the American Civil War. If the student thereafter had trouble remembering the causes and events of the Revolutionary War, this would be an example of retroactive interference. Retroactive interference occurs when information works backwards to interfere with earlier information; just as a retroactive pay raise given in July might work backwards to influence the paydays from January to June (Mastin, 2010).
Proactive interference occurs when current information is lost because it is mixed up with previously learned, similar information. For example, you could have trouble learning the contents of this chapter because it conflicts with preconceived notions in your mind regarding the same topic. Returning to the history example described earlier, if the student who had learned about the Revolutionary War thereafter studied the Civil War and had trouble remembering the events of the Civil War; then this would be an example of proactive interference.
Distortion refers to the misrepresentation of information that occurs when an imperfect image is recalled from long-term memory. It is not really a separate type of forgetting, but rather a combination of the previous three types. A final term related to forgetting is suppression. This is a term derived from Freudian psychotherapy that refers to the subconscious urge from within our personalities to obliterate unpleasant or threatening information from our memories (Dobbs, 2012). For example, an adolescent who had been abused as a child may be unable to recall specific instances of abuse, even though these were numerous, because he had suppressed them. Suppression is not an important cause of forgetting in most classroom settings. If a student says she forgot her Spanish "because she hated the teacher," her forgetting is probably because she has avoided contact with the subject matter rather than because of an emotional trauma.
A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain. Whether you're a student studying for final exams, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there are lots of things you can do to improve your memory and mental performance such as: good exercise and sleep, making time for friends and fun, keep your stress levels low, eat a well balanced diet, and challenge your brain (Healthharvard.edu, 2011).

References:
Dobbs, M. (2012). Memory Exercise. Retrieved from http://www.lumosity.com

Gatech, D. (2011). Memory Controllers. Retrieved from www.psychology.com
Mastin, L. (2010). The Human Memory. Retrieved from http://www.human-memory.net/processes_encoding.html Ten Strategies to Improve Memory. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_101107.htm

Valdosta, J. (2011). Childhood Memories. Retrieved from http://www.valdosta.edu