Do you remember what you ate for lunch yesterday? How about what you had for dinner two weeks ago? You can probably recall the food you ate yesterday, but not something you ate two weeks ago. Why do we remember certain things, but forget others? The ability to recall past events is what we call memory.
The Brain and Memory
The Brain and Memory
Memory is “our ability to encode, store, retain, and later recall information and past experiences in the human brain” (human-memory.net). Emotion is also an important part of memory formation, as it enhances events in order to improve the recollection of experiences that have importance or relevance for our survival.
The process of encoding a memory starts when we are born and continues for the rest of our lives. For something to become a memory, it has to be picked up by one or more of our senses. All memories start off in short-term storage. One example is how we learn to tie our shoes. Once we have the process down, it goes into our long-term memory and we can do it without really thinking about the steps involved!
The process of encoding a memory starts when we are born and continues for the rest of our lives. For something to become a memory, it has to be picked up by one or more of our senses. All memories start off in short-term storage. One example is how we learn to tie our shoes. Once we have the process down, it goes into our long-term memory and we can do it without really thinking about the steps involved!
Our attention span guides us to focus on the most relevant information our brain receives. Surprise is something that grabs our attention like nothing else can. If you’ve ever been told the same story twice, you know that hearing it a second time can be quite boring if you already know the end. Unless it’s really important, most of the information we receive is forgotten and rarely makes it to long-term memory. When we memorize a complex problem, the short-term memory is freed up and the action becomes automatic.
Emotionally charged events are remembered better than those of neutral events. You will never forget some events, such as the joy of the birth of your first child or sibling, or the horror of the 9/11 terrorist attack or the bombing of the Boston Marathon. The stress hormones, epinephrine and cortisol, enhance memory and consolidate memory contents. In evolutionary terms, it’s logical for us to imprint dangerous situations with extra clarity so that we can avoid them in the future.
Emotionally charged events are remembered better than those of neutral events. You will never forget some events, such as the joy of the birth of your first child or sibling, or the horror of the 9/11 terrorist attack or the bombing of the Boston Marathon. The stress hormones, epinephrine and cortisol, enhance memory and consolidate memory contents. In evolutionary terms, it’s logical for us to imprint dangerous situations with extra clarity so that we can avoid them in the future.
Emotionally painful memories tend to stick around much longer than those that involve physical pain. That’s why the phrase, “sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you,” is false most of the time. Evidence has shown that having your feelings hurt is worse than some physical pain.
| Important memories usually move from short-term memory to long-term memory. The transfer of information to long-term memory for more permanent storage can happen in several steps. |  |
Information is committed to long-term memory through repetition — such as studying for a test or repeatedly taking steps until you can walk without thinking — or associating it with something you already know, such as remembering a new teacher Mrs. Williams by associating her name with someone like William Shakespeare.
Types of Memories
Types of Memories
By now we know that there are two ways to store memories: short-term and long-term. Short-term memory can be defined as the recollection of things that happened immediately up to a few days. It’s generally believed that about five to nine items can be stored in active short-term memory and can be easily recalled. The more complex memory storage is known as long-term memory. The two main subsets of long-term memory are implicit and explicit. Implicit memory is sometimes called unconscious or automatic memory. It uses past experiences to remember things without consciously thinking about them! One aspect of implicit memory is what we call procedural memory. When we learn how to do things, that knowledge (or motor skills) is stored in procedural memory. Some examples of what type of information is stored here are: ice skating, playing piano, swimming, and writing!
For more information about how long and short term memories form, check out this article about types of memory by Kim Zimmerman at LiveScience: https://www.livescience.com/43713-memory.html
Test Your Memory!
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Let's take a look at your short term memory. First, gather a group of people to test this out on, or enlist the help of an adult to test you and a few friends! Then, get a plate or clear a space on a table. Put about ten small items on the plate (such as an eraser or coin), then cover them with a towel or cloth. Tell your group that you have a bunch of objects on the tray and that you want them to remember as much as they can. Make sure everyone knows that they will only have one minute to view them. Then take off the cover from the plate/table and start the timer for 60 seconds. After the time is up, return the cloth to hide the objects. Have everyone write down all the items that they can remember. Could they remember everything or were there any items that were forgotten by everyone?
Phone It!
Grab a phone book and look up a random number. If you don’t have one at home, most public libraries have them on hand, or you can try checking online. Take about one minute to memorize the phone number. Could you remember the number five minutes later? One hour later? How about six hours later or the next day? If you can remember the number a day later, try to find out how long you can recall it without looking it up again!
Resources:
“What is Memory”. http://www.human-memory.net/intro_what.html. Retrieved 10/5/17.
Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “Memory Definition & Types of Memory”. Purch: Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/43713-memory.html
Farouk Radwan, M. “Why do we remember certain things but forget others”. 2KnowMyself: https://www.2knowmyself.com/why_do_we_remember_certain_things_but_forget_others
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html
Image Credits:
Royon, Michel. “Human Brain Anatomy in Robotics”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Kelley, Leah. “Close-Up of Pictures”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from pexels.com
Fowler, Orson Squire. “Memory and Intellectual Improvement…” Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Stachowiak, Kai. “X-Ray Photograph”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
For more information about how long and short term memories form, check out this article about types of memory by Kim Zimmerman at LiveScience: https://www.livescience.com/43713-memory.html
Test Your Memory!
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Let's take a look at your short term memory. First, gather a group of people to test this out on, or enlist the help of an adult to test you and a few friends! Then, get a plate or clear a space on a table. Put about ten small items on the plate (such as an eraser or coin), then cover them with a towel or cloth. Tell your group that you have a bunch of objects on the tray and that you want them to remember as much as they can. Make sure everyone knows that they will only have one minute to view them. Then take off the cover from the plate/table and start the timer for 60 seconds. After the time is up, return the cloth to hide the objects. Have everyone write down all the items that they can remember. Could they remember everything or were there any items that were forgotten by everyone?
Phone It!
Grab a phone book and look up a random number. If you don’t have one at home, most public libraries have them on hand, or you can try checking online. Take about one minute to memorize the phone number. Could you remember the number five minutes later? One hour later? How about six hours later or the next day? If you can remember the number a day later, try to find out how long you can recall it without looking it up again!
Resources:
“What is Memory”. http://www.human-memory.net/intro_what.html. Retrieved 10/5/17.
Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “Memory Definition & Types of Memory”. Purch: Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/43713-memory.html
Farouk Radwan, M. “Why do we remember certain things but forget others”. 2KnowMyself: https://www.2knowmyself.com/why_do_we_remember_certain_things_but_forget_others
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html
Image Credits:
Royon, Michel. “Human Brain Anatomy in Robotics”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Kelley, Leah. “Close-Up of Pictures”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from pexels.com
Fowler, Orson Squire. “Memory and Intellectual Improvement…” Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Stachowiak, Kai. “X-Ray Photograph”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 9/24/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
