Long-term memory can provide access to multiple opportunities for learning if understood and applied properly. With current research and universally accepted information on how memory encoding and retrieval work, it is possible to design pathways to acquire new Christianity-related knowledge easily. This paper presents a plan for the development of Biblical and Christ-like behavior knowledge and discusses the plan’s possible influences on daily interactions and professional life.
Biblical Knowledge Development Plan
Past Experience (Episodic Memory)
The first part of the plan covers the applications of past experiences, such as episodic memory, to the encoding and retrieval of Biblical knowledge. Working memory capacity is related to a person’s ability to recall relevant information from episodic long-term memory, which is why working memory training for increasing the search set size can be relevant (Unsworth, 2016). One strategy that might be helpful to optimize information retrieval from episodic memory is the use of information chunking and visualization to increase the number of adequately memorized events. Both approaches can take the form of exercises involving creating a personal timeline where different units of information are divided into groups based on timing and supplemented with pictograms representing them.
The strategy above will facilitate the understanding and acquisition of Christ-like traits by drawing parallels between events in my life and similar circumstances in the life of Jesus Christ. For instance, personal experience of being betrayed retrieved from episodic memory can be compared to Jesus Christ’s response to betrayal and violence. In Luke 23:34, Jesus asks the Father to forgive his persecutors “for they don’t know what they are doing” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996/2015). The retrieval of nearly forgotten events from the autobiographic memory and comparing myself to Jesus in terms of reactions will create the conditions for becoming closer to every Christian’s key role model.
Another element of the plan is the use of imagery, such as old photos, to retrieve episodic memories and analyze past mistakes through the Biblical prism. Unsworth (2016) lists imagery among popular encoding strategies that support a person in setting priorities while learning. In experimental neuroscience research, visual cues, including images, are widely used for stimulus-induced memory retrieval (Loprinzi et al., 2017). Using photos that represent meaningful events in my life, including those related to childhood and adolescence, I can get information on gaps in the knowledge of the Scripture to be addressed.
Life-Long Learning (Semantic Memory)
The planned efforts also include activities to use life-long learning for the acquisition and crystallization of new Biblical knowledge. The enhancement of semantic memory or explicit memory for facts will be facilitated by means of two strategies. One way to improve the retrieval of factual knowledge is to encode facts while making them associated with episodic memories by increasing their personal relevance (Goldstein, 2019).
This will be applied to regular Scripture studying activities and keeping a Bible reading journal. Selected Biblical quotes that contain the brightest pieces of wisdom will be documented along with brief reflections on their applications to personal-level semantic memories, such as facts from everyday life. The second knowledge production strategy will be related to multimedia channels and their connections to brain activation in memory retrieval processes. As current experimental research suggests, listening to music is associated with semantic memory activation and more effective retrieval of facts (Eskine et al., 2020). To apply this finding, I will include listening to calm instrumental music in the Bible reading routine and use the same tracks when facing psycho-emotional conditions that require Biblical knowledge and wisdom to be resolved.
Benefits of the Learning Experience for Daily Life and Professional Life
This learning experience and plan formulation efforts may produce multiple benefits for my religious worldview in daily life, including the adoption of Christ-like conflict management strategies. The steady implementation of the aforementioned knowledge generation activities, including the Bible reading journal, will strengthen my self-reflection skills while enabling me to analyze differences between my and Christian role models’ approaches to conflict.
This can result in the in-depth comprehension of Christian values’ applications to everyday problem-solving by analyzing personal situations. The Bible makes it clear that all people have sinned at least once, so there should be no moral right to look down on anybody (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996/2015, Romans 3:23). Thus, honest self-reflection activities will support me in eliminating arrogance-induced responses to conflict.
As for professional life, the plan can support the crystallization of some aspects of the Biblical worldview that pertain to my current job as a part-time nanny. Providing children with due care can be exhausting at times, resulting in babysitters’ criticism of the parents’ approaches to raising their kids. Further studies of the Biblical wisdom outlined in the plan will eventually strengthen the adoption of values that will prevent me from these unwanted behaviors. The Bible argues against hypocrisy and paying too much attention “to the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996/2015, Matthew 7:3). All activities aimed at the development of Biblical worldview through Scripture reading and critical self-reflection can add to genuine compassion and non-judgmental attitudes to clients in my case.
Conclusion
Finally, the mechanisms behind two different types of explicit long-term memory can be instrumentalized for spiritual knowledge acquisition. Possible practices for episodic memory include analyzing one’s own life and the spiritual role model’s life to develop Christ-like traits. Semantic memory could be employed in reflection diaries and the use of music in Scripture reading. All types of experience can promote the ability to apply Christian values to everyday decision-making and work-related situations.
References
Eskine, K. E., Anderson, A. E., Sullivan, M., & Golob, E. J. (2020). Effects of music listening on creative cognition and semantic memory retrieval. Psychology of Music, 48(4), 513-528. Web.
Goldstein, E. B. (2019). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation. (2015). Tyndale House Publishers.
Loprinzi, P. D., Edwards, M. K., & Frith, E. (2017). Potential avenues for exercise to activate episodic memory-related pathways: A narrative review. European Journal of Neuroscience, 46(5), 2067-2077. Web.
Unsworth, N. (2016). Working memory capacity and recall from long-term memory: Examining the influences of encoding strategies, study time allocation, search efficiency, and monitoring abilities. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 42(1), 50–61. Web.