tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48998375156411309672024-03-08T03:57:57.816-08:0020 Memory TechniquesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899837515641130967.post-45840034958339617022012-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:002012-07-11T10:43:51.739-07:0020 Memory Techniques (Part 3)<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #002060; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Learn
actively</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">.
Action is a great memory enhancer. Test this theory by studying your assignments
with the same energy that you bring to the dance floor or basketball court. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">You can use simple,
direct methods to infuse your learning with action. When you sit at your desk,
sit up straight. Sit on the edge of your chair, as if you were about to spring
out of it and sprint across the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Also experiment with
standing up when you study. It’s harder to fall asleep in this position. Some people
insist that their brains work better when they stand. Pace back and forth and
gesture as you recite material out loud. Use your hands get your body moving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">This includes your
mouth. During lecture, ask questions. With your textbooks, read key passages
out loud. Use a louder voice for the main points. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Active learning also
involves a variety of learning styles. In my blog I will add an article about “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Learning styles: Discovering how you learn</b>”
which, will explain in large detail four aspects of learning: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">concrete experience</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">abstract conceptualization</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">active experimentation</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reflective observation</i>. Many courses in
higher education lean heavily toward abstract conceptualization – lectures,
papers, and reading. These courses might not offer chances to actively
experiment with ideas or test them in concrete experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Create those
opportunities yourself. For example, your introductory psychology book probably
offers some theories about how people remember information. Choose one of those
theories and test it on yourself. See if you can discover a new memory
technique. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Your sociology class
might include a discussion about how groups of people resolve conflict. See it
you can apply any of these ideas to resolving conflict in your own family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1.5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">The
point behind each of these examples is the same: to remember an idea, go beyond
thinking about it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do something with it</i>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899837515641130967.post-57147036551202763182012-06-19T16:16:00.000-07:002012-06-19T16:16:00.431-07:0020 Memory Techniques (Part 2)<br />
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #002060; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Make it
meaningful.</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">
One way to create meaning is to learn from the general to the specific. Before you
begin your next reading assignment, skin it to locate the main idea. If you’re
ever lost, step back and look at the big picture. The details might make more
sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">You can organize any
list of items – even random ones – in a meaningful way to make them easier to
remember. In this blog I have proposed five principles for organizing any body
of ideas, facts or objects: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableColorful2" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid black 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1;">
<td style="background: maroon; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1.5pt; mso-pattern: solid maroon; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div align="center" class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Principal<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: maroon; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1.5pt; mso-pattern: solid maroon; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div align="center" class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Example<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Organize
by<b> time <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Events
in history or in a novel flow in chronological order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Organize
by<b> location <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Addresses
for a large company’s regional offices are grouped by state and city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Organize
by<b> category<o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Nonfiction
library materials are organized by subject categories <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Organize
by<b> continuum <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Products
rates in Consumers Guide are grouped from highest in price to lowest in
proce, or highest in quality to lowest in quality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1.5pt; mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170.2pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Organize
by<b> alphabet <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 239); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1.5pt; mso-pattern: gray-20 yellow; mso-shading: white; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 170pt;" valign="top" width="227">
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Entries
in a book index are listed in ABC order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #002060; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Create
association</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">.
The data already encoded in your neural networks is arranged according to a
scheme that makes sense to you. When you introduce new data, you can remember
it more effectively if you associate it with similar or related data. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Think about your
favorite courses. They probably relate to subjects that you already know
something about. If you know a lot about the history of twentieth-century
music, for example, than you’ll find it easier to remember facts about
twenty-first century music. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1.5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Even
when you’re tackling a new subject, you can build a mental store of basic
background information – the raw material for creating associations. Preview
reading assignments, and complete those readings before you attend lectures. Before
taking upper-level courses, master the prerequisites. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899837515641130967.post-13343513453390063372012-06-17T16:15:00.000-07:002012-06-17T16:15:34.476-07:0020 Memory Techniques (Part 1)<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Experiment with these
techniques to develop a flexible, custom-made memory system that fits your
style of learning. </span></i></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">The 20
techniques are divided into four categories, each of which represents a general
principle for improving memory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="color: yellow;">ORGANIZE IT</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";"><span style="color: yellow;">.</span> Organized
information is easier to find. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="color: yellow;">USE YOUR BODY</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";"><span style="color: yellow;">.</span> Learning is
an active process; get all of your sense involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="color: yellow;">USE YOUR BRAIN</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";"><span style="color: yellow;">.</span> Work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> your memory, not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">against</i> it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="color: yellow;">RECALL IT</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">. Regularly
retrieve and apply key information. Read this article with application in mind.
Mark the techniques which you like best and use them. Also look for ways to
combine techniques. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: yellow; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">ORGANIZE IT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #002060; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Be selective</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">. There’s a difference
between gaining understanding and drowning in information. During your stay in
higher education, you will be exposed to thousands of facts and ideas. No one
expects you to memorize all of them. To a large degree, the art of memory is
the art of selecting what to remember in the first place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">As you dig into your
textbooks and notes, make choices about what is most important to learn, make
choices about what is most important to learn. Imagine that you are going to
create a test on the material and consider the questions you would ask. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1.5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">When
reading, look for chapter previews, summaries, and review questions. Pay attention
to anything printed in bold type. Also notice visual elements – tables, charts,
graphs, and illustrations. All of these are clues pointing to what’s important.
During lectures, notice what the instructor emphasizes. </span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Anything that’s
presented visually – on the board, on overheads, or with slides – is probably key.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899837515641130967.post-70238571273217117202012-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:002012-06-15T17:21:33.843-07:00Take your memory out of the closet<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Once upon
a time, people talked about human memory as if it were a closet. You stored
individual memories there like old shirts and stray socks. Remembering
something was a matter of rummaging through all that stuff. If you were lucky,
you found what you wanted. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">This view
of memory creates some problems. For one thing, closets can get crowded. Things
too easily disappear. Even with the biggest closet, you eventually run out of
space. If you want to pack some new memories in their-well, too bad. There’s no
room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Brain researchers
have shattered this image to bits. Memory is not a closet. It’s not a place or
a thing. Instead, memory is a process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">On a
conscious level, memories appear as distinct and unconnected mental events:
words, sensations, images. They can include details form the distant past – the
smell of cookies baking in your grandmother’s kitchen or the feel of sunlight
warming your face through the window of your first-grade classroom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">On a
biological level, each of those memories involves millions of nerve cells, or
neurons, firing chemical messages to each other. If you could observe these
exchanges in real time, you’d see regions of cells all over the brain glowing with
electrical charges at speed that would put a computer to shame. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">When a
series of cells connects several times in a similar pattern, the result is a
memory. Psychologist Donald Hebb uses the ophorism “Neurons which fire
together, wire together” to describe this principle. This means that memories
are not really “stored.” Instead, remembering is a process in which you encode
information as links between active neurons that fire together. You also
decode, or reactivate, neurons that wired together in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Memory is
the probability that certain patterns of brain activity will occur again in the
future. In effect, you re-create a memory each time you recall it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">Whenever
you learn something new, your brain changes physically by growing more
connections between neurons. The more you learn, the greater the number of
connections. For all practical purposes, there’s no limit to how many memories
your brain can encode. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">There’s
a lot you can do to wire those neural networks into place. That’s where the
memory techniques described in my blog come into play. Step out of your crowded
mental closet into a world of infinite possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0