9 INTERESTING HUMAN MEMORY

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

THE
HIPPOCAMPUS
PLAYS AN
IMPORTANT
ROLE IN
MEMORY
The hippocampus is a horse-shoe shaped area of the brain
that plays an important role in consolidating information
from short-term memory into long-term memory. It is part
of the limbic system, a system associated with emotions
and long-term memories. The hippocampus is involved in
such complex processes as forming, organizing, and
storing memories.
Because both sides of the brain are symmetrical, the
hippocampus can be found in both hemispheres. Damage
to the hippocampus can impede the ability to form new
memories, known as anterograde amnesia.
The functioning of the hippocampus can also decline with
age. While not all older adults exhibit this neuron loss,
those who do show decreased performance on memory
tests.
MOST SHORT-
TERM
MEMORIES ARE
QUICKLY
FORGOTTEN
The total capacity of short-term memory is fairly
limited. Experts believe that you can hold
approximately seven items in short-term memory
for about 20 to 30 seconds.
This capacity can be stretched somewhat by using
memory strategies such as chunking, which
involves grouping related information into smaller
"chunks."
In a famous paper published in 1956, psychologist
George Miller suggested that the capacity of short-
term memory for storing a list of items was
somewhere between five and nine.
BEING TESTED
ON
INFORMATION
ACTUALLY
IMPROVES
RETENTION
While it may seem like studying and rehearsing
information is the best way to ensure that you will
remember it, researchers have found that being
tested on information is actually one of the best
ways to improve recall.
One experiment found that students who studied
and were then tested had better long-term recall of
the materials, even on information that was not
covered by the tests.
Students who had extra time to study but were not
tested had a significantly lower recall of the
materials.
YOU CAN
LEARN TO
IMPROVE YOUR
MEMORY
Do you ever feel like you are constantly forgetting things or misplacing objects that
you use every day? Have you ever found yourself walking into a room only to
realize that you can't remember why you went in there in the first place?
While it might seem like you are doomed to simply tolerate these daily annoyances,
researchers have found that you can learn how to improve your memory.
There are a number of useful strategies to deal with mild memory loss. These
techniques include:
Utilizing technology to keep track of information. Tools such as hand-held
mobile devices and online reminder calendars can help people keep track of
appointments and other important dates. Using a reminder app on your phone can be
a handy way to stay on top of important dates and events.
Taking a "mental picture" can help. Systematically trying to make a mental note
of things you often forget (such as where you left your car keys) can help you
remember things better. The next time you set your keys down somewhere, take a
moment to mentally note where you left them as well as the other objects that were
nearby. If you think to yourself "I left my keys by my wallet on the desk," you'll
probably find it easier to recall the information later.
Use memorization techniques. Rehearsing information, employing mnemonics,
and other memorization strategies are perhaps the best ways to overcome minor
memory problems. By learning how to use these strategies effectively, you can
sidestep the faulty areas of your memory and train your brain to function in new
ways.
FOUR MAJOR
REASONS WHY
YOU FORGET
THINGS
In order to combat forgetfulness, it is important to understand some of
the major reasons why we forget things. According to memory experts,
there are many reasons why forgetting occurs. One of the most common
explanations is a simple failure to retrieve information from memory.
This often occurs when memories are rarely accessed, causing them to
decay over time.
Another common cause of forgetting is interference, which occurs when
some memories compete with other memories. For example, imagine
that a person just started a new school year as an elementary school
teacher. They spend some time learning the names of each of their
students, but over the course of the year, they find themself constantly
calling one particular person by the wrong name.
Why? Because that person's sibling was in the same class the year
before, and the two look remarkably similar. It is the memory of the
older sibling that makes it so difficult to recall the younger student's
name.
Other causes of forgetting include failing to store the information in
memory in the first place or even intentionally trying to forget things
associated with a troubling or traumatic event.
DEPICTIONS OF
AMNESIA IN
MOVIES ARE
USUALLY
INACCURATE
Amnesia is a common plot device in the movies, but these depictions are often wildly inaccurate.
For example, how often have you seen a fictional character lose their memory due to a bump on
the head only to have their memories magically restored after suffering a second knock to the
skull?
There are two different types of amnesia:
Anterograde Amnesia: Involves the loss of the ability to form new memories.
Retrograde Amnesia: Involves losing the ability to recollect past memories, although the ability
to create new memories may remain intact.
While most movie depictions of amnesia involve retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia is
actually far more common. The most famous case of anterograde amnesia was a patient known
in the literature as H.M.
In 1953, he had brain surgery to help stop the seizures caused by his severe epilepsy. The
surgery involved the removal of both hippocampi, the regions of the brain strongly associated
with memory. As a result, H.M. was no longer able to form any new long-term memories.
Popular movies and television programs tend to depict such memory loss as fairly common, but
true cases of complete amnesia about one's past and identity are actually quite rare.
Some of the most common causes of amnesia include:
Trauma: A physical trauma, such as a car accident, can cause the victim to lose specific
memories of the event itself. Emotional trauma, such as being a victim of childhood sexual
abuse, can cause the individual to lose memories of specific situations.
Drugs: Certain medications can be used to cause temporary amnesia, particularly during
medical procedures. Once the drugs wear off, the individual's memory returns to normal
functioning.
SCENT CAN BE A
POWERFUL
MEMORY
TRIGGER
Have you ever noticed that a particular scent can bring forth a rush of
vivid memories? The smell of cookies baking might remind you of
spending time at your grandmother's house when you were a small child.
The scent of a particular perfume might remind you of a romantic partner
with whom your relationship ended on a sour note.
Why does smell seem to act as such a powerful memory trigger?
First, the olfactory nerve is located very close to the amygdala, the area of
the brain that is connected to the experience of emotion as well as
emotional memory. In addition, the olfactory nerve is very close to the
hippocampus, which is associated with memory as you learned earlier in
this article.
The actual ability to smell is highly linked to memory.
Research has shown that when areas of the brain connected to memory are
damaged, the ability to identify smells is actually impaired.
In order to identify a scent, you must remember when you have smelled it
before and then connect it to visual information that occurred at the same
time. According to some research, studying information in the presence of
an odor actually increases the vividness and intensity of that remembered
information when you smell that odor again.
A GOOD NIGHT'S
SLEEP MAY
IMPROVE YOUR
MEMORY
You have probably heard about many of the reasons to get a good night's
sleep. Since the 1960s, researchers have noted the important connection
between sleep and memory. In one classic experiment conducted in 1994,
researchers found that depriving participants of sleep impaired their ability to
improve performance on a line identification task.
In addition to aiding in memory, sleep also plays an essential role in learning
new information.
Researchers have found that depriving students of sleep after learning a new
skill significantly decreased memory of that skill up to three days later.
Researchers have found, however, that sleep's influence on procedural
memory is much stronger than it is for declarative memory. Procedural
memories are those that involve motor and perceptual skills, while declarative
memories are those that involve the memorization of facts.
"If you're going to be tested on 72 irregular French verbs tomorrow, you might
as well stay up late and cram," explained Robert Stickgold, a psychiatry
professor at Harvard Medical School, in an article published in the
APA's Monitor on Psychology.
"But if they're going to throw a curveball at you and ask you to explain the
differences between the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution,
you're better off having gotten some sleep."
MEMORY
FAILURE IN
OLD-AGE MIGHT
NOT BE
INEVITABLE
While Alzheimer's disease and other age-related memory problems affect many older
adults, the loss of memory during old-age might not be inevitable. Certain abilities
do tend to decline with age, but researchers have found that individuals in their 70s
often perform just as well on many cognitive tests as do those in their 20s. Some
types of memory even increase with age.
While researchers are still working to understand why exactly some elderly adults
manage to maintain an excellent memory while others struggle, a few factors have
been implicated so far.
First, many experts believe that there is a genetic component to memory retention
during old age. Secondly, lifestyle choices are also believed to play an important role.
"I think it's a nature-nurture interaction, in large part," Dr. Bruce S. McEwen, a
professor at Rockefeller University in New York, explained to The New York Times.
"'A genetic vulnerability increases the likelihood that experience will have an effect."
So what are some steps you can take to stave off the negative effects of aging?
According to experts, having a strong sense of self-efficacy has been associated with
maintaining good memory abilities during old age. Self-efficacy refers to the sense of
control that people have over their own lives and destiny. This strong sense of self-
efficacy has also been linked to lowered stress levels.
As mentioned previously, high levels of chronic stress have been connected to
deterioration in the memory centers of the brain.