Download Research Summary-How Your Memory Works

Memory: The Research
The more you know about your memory, the better you'll understand how you can improve
it. Here's a basic overview of how your memory works.
In the past, many experts were fond of describing memory as a
sort of tiny filing cabinet full of individual memory folders in
which information is stored away. Others likened memory to a
supercomputer wedged under the human scalp. But today,
experts believe that memory is far more complex and elusive
than that -- and that it is located not in one particular place in
the brain but is instead a brain-wide process.
What seems to be a single memory is actually a complex construction. If you think of an
object -- say, a pen -- your brain retrieves the object's name, its shape, its function, the
sound when it scratches across the page. Each part of the memory of what a "pen" is comes
from a different region of the brain. The entire image of "pen" is actively reconstructed by
the brain from many different areas. Your "memory" is really made up of a group of systems
that each plays a different role in creating, storing, and recalling your memories. When the
brain processes information normally, all of these different systems work together perfectly
to provide cohesive thought.
Neurologists are only beginning to understand
how different parts of memory are reassembled
into a coherent whole. They still don't fully
understand exactly how you remember or what
occurs during recall. Still, there is enough
information to make some educated conclusions.
The process of memory begins with encoding, and
then proceeds to storage and, eventually,
retrieval.
When an experience or piece of information sticks and doesn’t evaporate with short-term
memory, it is said to have entered into the realm of long-term memory. This journey is
called consolidation and takes place after prolonged exposure to a piece of information or
experience. The longer the exposure, the better the consolidation, the more robust the
related memories will be.
Long-term memories can store much larger quantities of information than working memory
and for much longer periods of time (often as much as a lifetime). These resilient long-term
recollections are made up of both consciously learned facts, such as “Madrid is the capital of
Spain” and subconsciously learned knowledge, such as the ability to balance and ride a bike.
What if we could remember everything we experienced? As enticing as it sounds, our finite
brains would quickly find themselves overwhelmed with the random details of yesterday’s
thoughts and actions.
Key Principles about the memory...
Implications for us?
We tend to remember the first and last items
Finding patterns and connections helps the
memory
Split learning into smaller chunks with
regular pauses; make the first and last things
in a lesson memorable!
Make links to prior learning; introduce a
context which allows connections to be made
We tend to remember things which are odd
or surprising, or do not conform to patterns
Use of humour, visual props or sounds will
help the brain to make connections
The ability to recall things is improved if we
review learning over time
Review and summarise learning after an
hour, a day, a week, a month and three
months...
Using ideas of place allow for additional
contexts to be created – some places act as
emotional triggers
Put memory to the test by teaching what you
have learnt aloud to someone else
Place is a powerful way of anchoring
memories
Talking to ourselves helps us to remember
Our brains process and make sense of
information as we sleep
The memory functions less effectively
without enough sleep
Working Memory is a key thinking skill that can impact academic performance in a variety of
ways. It allows people to recall and utilise information while performing an activity, and is
vital to activities like taking notes, following multi-step directions, and completing complex
mathematical calculations. Working Memory also plays an important role in reading
comprehension, and people who have poor Working Memory skills will often have difficulty
remembering teachers’ instructions, recalling the rules of grammar, or completing other
academic tasks that involve actively calling up important information. People with good
Working Memory skills can remember and follow complicated directions and have the
ability to use what they have learned in a previous experience in a new situation.
In regards to reading, Working Memory helps when learning how
to decode words, aids students trying to remember specific parts
of a story or lesson, and helps in recalling previously learned
vocabulary while reading.
Working Memory helps with maths when people are trying to
keep track of multi-step problems, and is important while trying
to recall the proper methods for solving problems. Working
Memory also aids in recalling and applying problem solving
strategies.
While writing, Working Memory is important for keeping multiple ideas in mind at once, and
helps kids to be aware of the proper ways to structure sentences and paragraphs. Working
Memory also helps when people are trying to recall spelling and grammar rules.
Improving your ability to remember and recall information may seem like a difficult task, but
it can often be accomplished by practicing some simple, short-term strategies. Simple
activities like repeating instructions to yourself can reinforce basic working memory skills,
while writing short lists can help complete tasks more easily.
The brain is an
interesting organ
and is equipped with
almost endless
energy even when it
is supposedly at rest.
It is constantly busy
and working and if
we were able to hear
the noise it makes
while working it
would sound like a
factory at its busiest.
The brain seems to
do it all. It keeps our
organs functioning,
supports our
memories from
remembering to
their retrieval, etc.
Some people
compare the brain to
a computer and this
may be in part true
as the brain functions by what we input into it as does our computer. The computer does
what we program it to do. However, the brain does not require hardware and software to
function as does the computer. With a little insight to human memory we will note that the
brain does need good and healthy nutrition in order to function and thereby survive.
An insight to human memory tells us that besides a healthy and nutritious diet our brain
needs exercise. As does our body need exercise to survive so does our brain. Not by jumping
up and down and doing hand stands but by being used in ways we would not normally use
our brain. The old saying “use it or lose it” applies perfectly to the brain.
We mentioned that insight to human memory was akin to a computer’s memory as it
applies to short term and long term memory of both the brain and the computer. Short
term memory can be compared to the random access memory of the computer while long
term memory can be compared to information stored on a computer disk. Although, the
brain is more complicated than our simple explanation, it serves the purpose.
Memory and Remembering
The relationship between memory and learning is clearly an important one; an effective
memory is a key aspect of life and work.
Is learning the sum of all the things we remember?
Definitions of learning?


Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviour, skills, values,
or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The
ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. (Wikipedia)
Learning is the knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly
application; the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill; the modification of
behaviour through practice, training, or experience.
(dictionary.com)
Memory involves two different elements:
1. Fixing the memory in the first place
2. Recalling the memory when you need it
‘Every time you sense something, an electrochemical connection is
made. It leaves a trace or pathway of connections between your synapses. Each one of
these, is, potentially a memory. The more a particular pattern of connections is activated,
the more likely it is that a memory will be created. For the memory to stick, however, it has
to mean something: your brain has to find some meaning in it. Relevance to something you
are already interested in may help a memory to stick.’
A higher concentration of synapses at the synaptic junctions in the brain directly
correlates to better memory.
Student Memory Techniques
1.) Try to connect an emotion to something you want to remember. For example, if you’re
trying to remember information for a history test, consider how you might have felt if you
were in that setting and connect that emotion to what you’re trying to remember. Studies
suggest that if you can make a meaningful connection emotionally to something, or attach a
strongly held opinion to what you are trying to remember, you are more likely to commit
that information to memory. Sometimes it might be useful to generate an emotional
response, such as finding a reason to be angry about a historical event or to think of
something that is scary about a scientific fact.
2.) Sustain your attention if you want to sustain your memories. Pay attention to what is
important, because otherwise it will be discarded from your memory within 18 to 30
seconds. As a result, one needs to “download” information, in a way, to obtain it. In other
words, you have to “work” to get information into your long-term memory. Taking notes,
connecting information to other memories or using visualisation strategies all can offer
support to retaining crucial bits of information.
3.) Improve Working Memory by teaching others. Before teachers relay information, they
process what they have learned in a way that prepares it for departure, consolidating
information, archiving it, and making way for more long-term memory. Teaching others
requires individuals to think about what they have learned and memorise it in a different
way, so that they can present it to others. This illustrates the common axiom, “To teach is to
learn twice.”
4.) Make learning and memorisation a social experience. Study with your friends. Do a
“text test” with them, exchanging short questions and short answers. Students quizzing
each other is often much more successful in memorising for a test. However, make sure you
stay focussed, as the social nature of studying together can deteriorate into hanging out
rather than studying, so try and have a good mixture of fun and learning. In addition to the
verbal and interactive components of memorisation, another person’s perspective on what
is important to remember can be very useful in learning and test-taking.
5.) Structure and organize the information you are studying “chunk” activities into a single
action. Researchers have found that information is organized in memory in related clusters.
You can take advantage of this by structuring and organizing the materials you are studying.
Try grouping similar concepts and terms together, or make an outline of your notes and
textbook readings to help group related concepts. Chunking breaks up long strings of
information into units or chunks. The resulting chunks are easier to commit to working
memory than a longer and uninterrupted string of information. Often students use Bullet
points to break up information.
6.) Recap information just before you go to sleep. There have been a number of studies
that indicate that if you quickly review material 15 minutes before going to sleep at night,
you will be better able to tap into the information later, keeping from slipping away into
dreamland. Remember, this is not a full study session before bed — which can cause stress
— but rather a simple recap, like reading or verbalising out loud what you have already
studied.
7.) Don’t cram. Distributed learning is generally better for memorisation than cramming.
What this means is that you should attempt to learn material over the course of time rather
than during any single session. Many studies show that cramming is not an effective tool for
learning, and the stress it brings only reinforces the argument against its use. One strategy
that seems to help in consolidating memories is to periodically conduct a short test
reviewing what you have studied over an extended period of time.
8.) Encourage deeper processing and test comprehension to improve Working Memory.
Go beyond simple memorisation! Difficulty with Working Memory can occur because you
have merely heard or seen something without fully processing it. One strategy to promote
deeper processing is thinking aloud. Instead of reading text in your head, find two or three
main points to read out loud. If group studying, discuss these points with other classmates.
Practice this type of “talking aloud” to connect, reflect, and deepen an understanding of the
material you study. Discussion of what someone has read or heard often stimulates more
thinking about it than simply re-reading it.