Answer:
Psychologists distinguish information that is available in memory from that which is accessible. We can know is what information we can retrieve—accessible information. The assumption is that accessible information represents only a tiny slice of the information available in our brains.
Explanation:
Memory Cues
What factors determine what information can be retrieved from memory? One critical factor is the type of hints, or cues, in the environment. You may hear a song on the radio that suddenly evokes memories of an earlier time in your life, even if you were not trying to remember it when the song came on. Nevertheless, the song is closely associated with that time, so it brings the experience to mind.
Recall and Recognition
Psychologists measure memory performance by using production tests (involving recall) or recognition tests (involving the selection of correct from incorrect information, e.g., a multiple-choice test). In this situation, the recognition test would likely produce better performance from participants than the recall test.
Retrieval and Reconstruction
Whenever we think about our past, we engage in the act of retrieval. We usually think that retrieval is an objective act because we tend to imagine that retrieving a memory is like pulling a book from a shelf, and after we are done with it, we return the book to the shelf just as it was.
