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from Learning & Memory the Brain in Action,
by Marilee Sprenger, 1999 Several
parts of the brain are involved in creating and storing memory
The neural pathways for memory are built up by
the number of times a memory is invoked.
The neural mechanisms used for memory are very
similar to those used for imagination. Some psychologists suggest this might be
the basis for the often interweaving of fact and fiction in personal recall.
The form and organization of an experience that
is taken into memory has a strong impact on how long, how well, and the way you
will recall something.
For example, you can input something as:
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An image or a story
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An organized series of events
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A random list
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A tag, as in its relationship to other events
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A unique bit of information
Little is understood about memory storage
Memories that are frequently used are recalled
easier than those we rarely refer to. Traumatic events, however, are very easy
for us to recall.
Retrieval or Recall
For the past 20 years it was believed recall
resulted from search cues that triggered a memory. These memories “waited” in a
specific portion of the brain.
Now it is believed that memories are a process
of construction rather than retrieval. We create memories as we need them.
Each time we say or imagine something from our
past, we put it together from bits and pieces that may have been stored
separately. This is why people often subconsciously change, add or delete things
from a remembered event.
There is probably a connection between the way
the information was stored in the brain and how it is recalled.
Therefore, if specific manipulation of
information makes people remember more quickly, we can assume that our
manipulation matches the internal organization we used at the time we inputted
or retrieved the information. One way of doing this is by grouping the
information by heading.
Short-Term Memory (STM)
Short-term memory lasts only a few seconds.
Memories go through short term buffers or temporary storage areas located in
each of the auditory, visual and kinesthetic areas. Then, they go into working
memory and on to long term memory. (LeDoux, 1996)
Short-term memory has limited space that is
developed throughout one’s lifetime. Children ages 3 can only hold 1 item in STM.
By age 9 they are able to hold 4 items in memory. When they finally reach 15,
they can hold 7 pieces of information; this is the average storage available for
adults.
Important information is passed on to the
working memory. Working memory is located in the prefrontal cortex and can be
used for hours. Repetition of this information can hold it in working memory
long enough to pass a test without it ever being entered into long term memory.
Long-Term Memory:
Different Categories
There are five general categories that long-term
memory can be stored in. These categories include Semantic Memory, Episodic
Memory, Procedural Memory, Automatic Memory, and Emotional Memory. They are
described further here:
Semantic Memory
Semantic memory holds verbal information. Most
classroom learning relies on semantic memory. Repetition is the key to
converting semantic memory into long-term memory. Semantic memory must be
stimulated by associations, comparisons, and similarities. It has unlimited
space for storing information. This memory can fail us most easily because it
takes repeated interaction with the information to make it permanent.
The following strategies can help
students form long-term semantic memories:
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Graphic organizers – a powerful way to build
semantic memories because it “paints” images in the brain
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Peer teaching – if the student can explain
information to others, it shows they understand the information
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Questioning strategies – using the Socratic
Method to remember information
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Summarizing – this requires the student to
reduce the information into important points in their own words and interact
with the information
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Role-playing – if the student can act out the
character, they are better able to understand them
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Debates – bringing in the student’s opinion
can help them to understand the other side of an issue
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Outlining – a good tool for linear and
sequential learners
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Timelines – gives the student a visual in
chronological order
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Practice tests – helps students put the
information in the appropriate format for the real test
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Paraphrasing – as in summarizing, this helps
the student to reduce the amount of information into important points
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Mnemonic devices – these are effective only
when multiple interactions with the information takes place
Episodic Memory
Episodic memory deals with location. It is also
called contextual or spatial memory. Where we were often contributes to memory
recall. Studies show that students who tested in a room where they did not learn
the course material performed lower than when they took the same test in the
classroom where they learned the material.
The following strategies can help
students form long-term Episodic Memories:
Procedural Memory
Procedural memory is often called muscle memory.
Procedural memory stores memories of the action of the body. For example, the
sequence we use in tying our shoes is stored in our long-term memory as
Procedural memory.
Procedural memory also gives us the ability to
do two things at the same time without conflict. The two processes, such as
driving a car and talking on a cell phone, are usually located in different
parts of the brain and do not fight for space or energy.
The following strategies can help
students form long-term Procedural Memories:
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First, survey reading material.
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Then, turn the heading and subheading into
questions
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Next, read to find the main ideas and
significant details while skipping unnecessary information
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At the end of each page, briefly summarize
in your head or aloud what you read
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Review this reading material daily
Automatic Memory
Automatic memory is sometimes called conditioned
response memory. This is the memory that contains our multiplication tables and
decoding skills for communication. Many songs are also stored here.
Its greatest value is that it often triggers the
opening of other memories. When you hear a song and can remember where you were,
who you heard that song with, and the emotion you felt at the time, it is
Automatic Memory retrieving other related memories for you.
The following strategies can help
students form long-term Automatic Memories:
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Music – this can be very powerful. Have
students put their vocabulary list to music and then sing the song over and
over.
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Flashcards – Have students make 3x5 cards with
the answer on one side and the question on the other.
Emotional Memory
Emotional memory is the most powerful kind of
memory. It takes precedent over all other kinds of memory. If the information
entering the brain has emotion, the brain immediately focuses on it.
If information calls for a strong emotion such
as fear, test anxiety, or serious stress, the brain begins to prepare the body
and at this point no other memories work. This is called neural hijacking. This
explains why students can't recall test information when they get too anxious.
The following strategies can help
students form long-term Emotional Memories:
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Music – Can also work through emotion
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Make important information special - the more
unusual it is, the easier it is to recall
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Use props or dress up
Memory is influenced by many factors. The mood
you are in, the uniqueness of the memory, or unusual events can contribute to
how well you will recall memories.
When we remember our role in past events, we
almost always remember ourselves being more central than we really were.
It is clear that if we use certain techniques to
recall and store memory, it will be more effective. |
