Forgetting assumes that information that was stored in the short term or long term memory is now not available or is not accessible. It is in terms of availability and accessibility that the importance of forgetting, with regard to demonstrating separate stages in memory is to be approached. Failures of availability and accessibility include encoding failure occurs when data is not stored in the short or long term memory. Trace decay involves the physical form of memory disappearing with time due to neural decay; it explains sensory memory, short term memory forgetting and the effect of rehearsal.

There are seven explanations as to why we forget information that we have stored in memory. These include: decay, interference, failure to retrieve, repression, construction error, failure to store or consolidate, and infantile amnesia.

To minimize forgetting information that we just learned, we can use a number strategies to store the information. If we organize information in a logical way, it will facilitate retrieval and minimize forgetting. Encoding is a process of storing information in memory by modifying it in someway as to make it easier for recall at a later date. One type of encoding is the use of acronyms. This is an advanced cognitive strategy where people devise unique ways to remember stuff. For example, if I want to be able to remember the concept of conceptual knowledge, I can devise this simple formula.

DK +  PK = CK

Where DK represents declarative knowledge, PK represents procedural knowledge, and CK represents conceptual knowledge. This formula represents a way of remembering that when people integrate their declarative knowledge and their procedural knowledge, it results in conceptual knowledge.

Encoding strategies such as acronyms have helped me in remembering concepts for long periods of time, as is the case with the KASH model. The KASH model was a concept that I first learned about in a course on Human Resources Development. It was a way of teaching people how to turn what you just learned into a habit so that the task becomes second nature. KASH was an acronym that stood for knowledge of a better way, ability, skills, and habits. Acronyms such as these are easy to pronounce. If you are reading a list of words and they are easy to pronounce, you will have a better chance at remembering and recalling it later.

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