Transcript Memory - ClassNet


Imagine our lives without memory. There
would be no savouring the
remembrances of joyful moments, no
guilt or misery over painful recollections,
no learning of what to do or avoid doing
again. Each moment would be a fresh
experience. But each person would be
a stranger, each task, dressing, cooking,
biking, a challenge, every language a
foreign language.
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Our memory ahs the capacity for
remembering countless voices, sounds
and songs, tastes, smells, textures, faces,
places, and happenings.
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Have you ever experienced a song
playing that triggers a memory of
something, someone?
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How about a certain smell triggering a
memory?
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Or a certain food?
Clear memories of emotional moments
when the brain command: “PRINT THIS!”
 For example:
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› Where were you when you saw the images
of planes crashing into the towers of the
World Trade Centre?
› Will and Kate’s wedding day!!

Answer the following questions about the
items we use day after day:
› Who is pictured on the $10 bill?
› What letters do not appear on a telephone
dial?
› On an ordinary traffic light, is the red or the
green light on top?
Short Term Memory
1.
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Stores information for a few seconds (i.e.
phone number)
Takes sounds/visual images and turns them
into something meaningful (i.e. a phone
number is remembered by repeating it or
visualizing it on a piece of paper)
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Stores 7 items (your brain will eliminate items if you try to
store more in your short term memory)
Try It:
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Peach
Book
Sword
Car
Enemy
Mirror
Shoe
Thermometer
Clock
Brick
Bed
Salt
Flower
Calendar
Airplane
1.
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4.
5.
6.
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12.
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14.
15.
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Peach
Book
Sword
Car
Enemy
Mirror
Shoe
Thermometer
Clock
Brick
Bed
Salt
Flower
Calendar
Airplane
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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14.
15.
Count as correct, only those words that
match the list in the correct order. (On
average, people score 7 correct).
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“Chunking” – giving meaning to chunks
of information
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Try to remember the following group of
letters
ckud – hsero - ppael
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How much easier is it when we give
meaning to these letters?
duck – horse - apple
Stores information for minutes to a
lifetime
 It stores: sounds, pictures, language,
tastes, and smells
 Vast storage powers but sometimes
difficult to recall
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How do we recall information?
› Give it meaning
 Example: Remember the horse kicked over the pail in
the stable.
It is easier to remember meaning than exact
words
(i.e. summarize)
New info more difficult to recall (i.e. a
similar telephone number may interfere
with retrieving an old one, or vice versa).
 Emotions (i.e. stress)
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Context – understand ideas rather than
simply memorizing words and phrases (i.e.
thinking/inquiry or application type
questions)
2. Don’t Cram – short periods of study are
more effective than one long period (i.e.
1hr/day versus 7hr in one day). The mind
sorts and organizes between sessions.
Cramming is sometimes necessary but not
useful in remembering and understanding
in the long run.
1.
3. Active Learning vs. Passive Learning
- take notes
- explain material back to yourself or a
friend
- whole learning (skim entire unit first
before reviewing in pieces)
4. Over Learn – especially important parts.
Overlearned material will say with you while
“barely” learned material will escape you.
1.
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3.
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5.
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7.
8.
9.
Learning transfer
Be motivated – keep goals in mind
Rewards
Gain feedback
Define your purpose
Performance – observe behaviour
Middle
The Unusual – associate what you learn with
unusual experience
Mnemonic devices – link what has been
learned with things to make remember more
easily (i.e. M.A.I.N)

Read page 86
› What is the name of an illness that affects one’s memory?
› What area of brain is affected?
› Using the information in this note, hypothesize why you
think meditation therapy (i.e. repeated finger movements
while accompanying singing) increases blood flow to the
area of the brain that affects memory.
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Read page 87
› Using the arguments presented and what you have
learned about memory brainstorm ways internet use or
technological construction of the webpages could be
altered to achieve better learning results.
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Read pages 250-251 “Memory Alteration”
› Answer questions 1 and 2