Nature of Thought and Memory the Nature

Nature of Thought and Memory

The Nature of Complex Thought Processes

The human thought process represents a complex set of different types of cognitive processes, some of which occur consciously and some of which occur entirely automatically and without our conscious awareness (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008). Conscious thought emphasizes reasoning processes, but they occur simultaneous with multiple aspects of thought that are functions of prior conditioning and memory. However, the most complex aspect of complex thought is the degree to which conditioning and memory play in conscious thought. Despite the fact that we believe our responses to others and to the environment are under our conscious awareness and control, even our most conscious thought processes are profoundly influenced by our previous experiences, our environmental conditioning, and our socialization. Those elements of our development determine most of what we come to consider normal and most of what we expect from others in our environment (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008).

Perceptual Blocks that Influence the Views of the Individual

The human socialization process is substantially responsible for the tremendous development of human knowledge and societal evolution. On the other hand, from the perspective of the individual, the socialization process is also one of the principal limitations of conceptual thought. That is largely because the socialization process begins long before we have any specific awareness of self in any meaningful way and also because we are not aware that we are undergoing a socialization process during our most significant formative experiences (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008). By the time the individual reaches adulthood, he is no longer able to perceive and process new information entirely objectively, precisely because the influence of the socialization process is so strong.

Sensation and Memory

At its most basic (i.e. neurological) level, memory consists, literally, of the growth of neural networks in response to specific experiences (Dennet, 1999). Every experience stimulates the growth of new neural connections; those that are repeated often become stronger and involve many neurons while those that are seldom repeated deteriorate. The complex memory of humans is a mix of learned automatic responses, associations, and reflexes with the conscious memories of the individual as well as with the unconscious memory of various conscious experiences that are no longer available to conscious recall (Dennet, 1999).

Anecdotal Case of Altered Perception

In a work experience of mine, I was promoted to a supervisory position over two colleagues who had been with the organization longer than I had. Prior to my promotion, both of them had expressed frustration that our (then) supervisor was too indecisive and never made clear-cut decisions. When I took over the position, I was determined to earn their respect in that sense, and I made sure to issue instructions and to announce decisions in a very clear manner. I purposely outlined my rationale during my explanations and then announced my decisions to the team. When my supervisor asked me to characterize my relationship to my team, I responded that I thought we were working together very smoothly. He then informed me that my two former colleagues had complained that I was too independent and that I did not provide any opportunity for their input in decisions.