Oops! I’ve forgotten your name…
Have you ever looked at an acquaintance and forgotten their name? Or walked to another room and forgot why you went there? These two incidences are very typical of scrambled long-term and short-term memory.
Our Memories Define Us
Our memories are what define us. Really? Seriously more than just that, memories ground us, guide us and play a central role in every aspect of our lives. Memory informs who we have been and what we want to become. Memory is the basis of friendship, thinking, learning and creating. Imagine a life with memory – you would simply be existing.
Research in Memory
Much research is happening into memory as we speak. The Wicking Dementia Centre, a part of the University of Tasmania, is showing that the more we used our brain when we were younger, the chance of getting dementia is lessened. All this knowledge and study strengthened the neural pathways and created a vast number of neural connections. Many researchers are also telling us that keeping our brain active also helps us to remember with greater accuracy and detail.
Did you know that the human brain is so big and nutrient hungry that an estimated 25 per cent of all our energy expenditure is used to power its 85 billion neurons? New connections are formed between them every time you make a memory.
My Little Story
There was this time when I was teaching, and proud of learning all 120 students’ names within 3 days. That meant learning about 25-30 names per class for various subjects. Sounds amazing so far. But I also noticed that I really had to focus on each particular student, look at his or her features and use their name constantly when I asked a question. It was never an easy task. It did get easier as I practiced. One day, I asked a question from a student only to be told, “That’s not my name!” I immediately apologised and stared at her! I had forgotten her name. It was embarrassing because I had to skirt around the issue and not include her name when conversing.
I quickly went to my desk at the front of the room, opened up my teacher’s diary and skimmed down the class roll. There it was. Of course, that’s her name. From that day, I really struggled to remember her name; not because I didn’t know it, but because I had associated her name with another student. For the rest of that year, I had to play a mind game in my head to make sure I would call her by her real name!
So, do you want to learn how to improve your memory with three simple exercises? Of course you do! Try from three different strategies below.
1. Declarative Memory, Episodic Memory & Semantic Memory
Declarative Memory is a form of long-term memory that is associated with remembering facts and knowledge. It can be divided into two types: episodic memory and semantic memory.
Episodic memory: this is the memory of all the autobiographical events in your life: the places you have visited, the parties you have been to, the good and bad things that have happened to you.
These memories are highly subjective and can affect your future behaviour. These memories can also stir up emotions and increases the likelihood of good long-term memory retention.
One way to improve episodic memory is by recalling the day’s events and events from the past.
- What did you have for breakfast this morning?
- What did you have for breakfast yesterday?
- How did you last celebrate your birthday?
- When and where was the last occasion that you injured yourself badly enough to require medical attention?
- Can you remember an occasion as a child when you felt really proud?
Semantic memory is more of a collection of facts, meanings, knowledge, ideas, abstract and concrete. Episodic memory is used but there is greater detail and understanding about the fact.
- Name this object.
- What colour is it?
- Pick two words that apply to this object:
- Food
- Furniture
- Animal
- Organic
- Name the natural organic compound that gives this object its colour.
- True or False? This object contains the phytochemicals quercetin, phlorizin and chlorogenic acid.
2. Lively Repetition Vs Rote Learning
Certain types of repetition such as “rote” learning are often hailed by educational traditionalists as the way to raise falling standards and get back to basics; progressive educators view them as the antithesis of creative and engaging education. But who is right? Both are right and wrong. It depends on the context!
Learning something by lively repetition:
- Should be used for quick, routine memorisation of lists of information, such as the multiplication table, periodic table, formulae.
- Don’t be boring; Lively repetition should be fun. Repeat things in a funny manner, dance along, use gestures.
- Use chunking (breaking into phrases) and rhythm to break the text into memorable packets that are easy to the ear.
- Recite it aloud or sing it aloud.
- Use your body – gestures, clapping, bending.
Repeat this sentence:
THE LONGER THE INFORMATION CAN BE KEPT IN YOUR (short-term memory)
THE MORE EFFECTIVELY IT CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO YOUR (long-term memory).
3. Attention Please!
Attention is key to effective learning. The best way to improve recall is to increase attention at the memory-forming stage. Without attention, retention is haphazard and beyond your control. Attention must also target the appropriate areas of study, otherwise the retention will be strong but the information irrelevant. Be highly selective – just like your hearing!
- The learning task must have meaning and value, which you can gain by understanding WHAT you are learning and WHY you are learning it.
- Determine what is most important.
- Understand that attention is as much about deciding what to ignore as it is about focus.
- Eliminate distraction, especially those from digital media.
- Time limit and structure your internet activity to clearly differentiate between leisure browsing and research.
- Research has also shown that self-discipline is more important than IQ in predicting academic success!
- Reading is one of the most effective ways to increase your attention span and your attention control. Keep reading.
Your Challenge!
Choose one of the above strategies, or your own strategy, and use if for a week. Reflect on its success as you build up brain power.
If you or you know anyone who is struggling with brain issues, kinesiology is a wonderful way to discover the new pathways that can be developed and strengthened. You have to start somewhere!