My earliest memory was when I was 4 years old. I had got pneumonia really bad when I was on vacation to visit my grandparents in Taiwan. I was in the hospital and the only memory I have of it was when I was in the hospital bed and there was a TV hanging from the ceiling playing Snow White. The dwarves were introducing themselves to Snow White in this cottage thing. Then I remember crying a lot cause they were trying to make me drink this orange medicine while I tried watching the movie. I guess my personality then is around the same now because I seem to like distractions when doing something I don't want to do. For instance, I'll go on Facebook instead of doing a huge essay that's due the next day or if my dad is telling me to go pick up my dog's poop I'll go upstairs and take a shower or something.
-- Edited by Franklin Gaw on Tuesday 20th of October 2009 12:45:40 PM
Frankie!!! We were both four at the time of our first memory. However, your memory seems to be about something significant happening in your life, while mine is a random occurrence. You probably would not have recalled this memory without the retrieval cue given to you in the assignment because this memory is stored in your long term memory.
I think everyone can relate to this memory. Everyone, at some point, has cried over doing one thing when they really want to do something else. My mom always used to make me clean my room but all I ever wanted to do was watch TV or play outside with my friends. I'm just like you now because I always go on Facebook and procrastinate before a big paper or exam.
It's funny how early memories are ones in which we remember a traumatic experience. Seems like negative events have more of an impact on what we remember. What is also remarkable is how vividly you can remember a childhood experience. With regards to your tendencies to become easily distracted, it definitely makes more sense now.
Aww, poor Frankie. A lot of peoples first memories seem to be of something traumatic that happened to them, which makes sense. Its interesting what you remember from this experience thought. At that age, SnowWwhite must have been more important to you than dying.
So your memory must have something to do with how much you were feeling bad so that it was stored in long term memory. Anyways, drinking medicine is never fun and being sick is horrible too which might explain why you remember this memory so well.
Interesting memory. It seems to me that the reason you remembered it is because, at the time, your illness must have been on your mind constantly. The aches and pains and general discomfort were constantly traveling from your sensory memory to your short term memory were they were replaced by still more inputs of discomfort. Therefore, these memories had time to be "loaded" into your long term memory, unfortunately.
It is extremely interesting that the first memory is when you are extremely sick, yet within the memory there are also contradicting components such as snow white, which we do not associate with illness. I think the fact that your memory consists of contrasting aspects makes its particularly memorable and so you are able to remember it more.
