Several analogies have been used to explain human
memory, the construct used to count for the way one
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experiences at one point in time influence behavior at a later
point in time. Plato, for example, suggested memory was
analogous to the impression of messages on wax written
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tablets. For Plato, writing on the tablet represented learning
something new. The tablet itself was the memory store, and
reading the tablets later was analogous to try to recall the
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stored information. Like the writing on a wax surface, with
the passing of time, memories became less clear. Unfortunately,
Plato"s analogy loses an important characteristic of
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memory, namely that it is selective. On way of contrast, one
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always has access to the information on the tablet, unless
all or part of it is destroyed. Another analogy is of memory
and a hologram. A hologram is a device which stores a
three dimensional record of a scene using photography with
a laser light. If part of the holographic plate is missing, it is
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possible to reconstruct the image with the parts of the plate
that remains. Experiences or knowledge can also be recalled
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using incomplete memories. Other analogies involve artificial
methods of storing information, too. The comparison of
the mind to a computer is attractive just since it emphasizes
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the ability of human memory to recall information quickly,
and the same objection stated above with regard to Plato"s
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hypothesis apply to here.
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