baristaman

Far too long ago (three weeks and 1 day and no, I didn’t use memory for that, I used my calendar!) I talked about psychology. For the observant, I may have mentioned physiology too. I want to expand on the psychology theory a little and work out, even in a brush stroke theory, why a barista (anyone in service even) remembers customer orders. Let’s explore firstly what this Memory thing is all about.

What is Memory?

Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. Think about your brain being a hard drive on a computer. It’s our ability to create it, file it and organise it in a way so we can find it again. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.

In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness.

Let me try to put this into a barista style so I can flesh it out further.

There are several ways of encoding memory; visual, acoustic and semantic. I’m going to go out and say it; I think semantic encoding is what a barista is using. Semantic encoding is when a sensory input can be applied to context or a particular meaning. There would be a portion of pattern recognition here too – when new information comes into sensory storage, we actively search through long-term memory in an effort to find a match for this new raw data. In barista terms, this might be that Mike likes a latte with caramel, or Sara likes a cappuccino with a ristretto shot. Now there has to be a portion of visual here as I am a face guy. I struggle with names but I see a face and have instant recognition. I guess it all ties into the semantic though.

The actual storage and retention of memory I want to cover further, so I’m not going to open that can right now.

The retrieval is something that interests me. I’m still yet to discover too much information about retrieval and why a barista retrieves memories they do. The basic retrieval styles are recall, recollection, recognition and re-learning. I think in a customer service field, the retrieval may be a hybrid of recall and recollection.

‘I recall Mike had a latte yesterday,’ ‘I recollect Sara had a double ristretto in her cappuccino.’

I think I’ve created more problems for myself here but it is certainly sparking my interest. Please comment via twitter or below. I’d like to read your thoughts, observations and I welcome criticism.