Memory Basics

Human memory is a very complex thing. It is unlike data in a computer. It can sometime let you down especially at what seems like the worst times. I think most people have experienced frustration when they can’t recall someone’s name or a place that they visited. Memory can also cause some confusion, especially when two people experience the same event from different view points. Before we can improve anything first we need to know basically how it works.

Everything you do during the day, even activities that are common or incidental like listening to music or watching television is processed for storage. This processing is known as encoding into memory. Some information gets into memory practically effortlessly, while other things require time. What and how long tends to vary from individual to individual. When we start encoding we use one of two types of attention. We use either selective attention where we focus on a specific situation while ignoring everything else or divided attention, trying to gather everything. Although our brain is more powerful than a super computer it does have its limits. It can not pay attention to too many different things at once. A person that focuses their attention on one single thing does better than someone trying to remember many things simultaneously.

Simply paying attention to something does not guarantee success with remembering it so encoding is further divided into three different levels.
Shallow level (gather): The first level includes the make up of sensory or physical stimuli we collect. For example, we might remember some shapes of printed characters from the newspaper, or the pitch of a particular sound in music.
Intermediate level (gather &name): The object we remember is recognized and is given a name. For example, we will identify an object that drives on the road as a car.
Deepest Level (gather, name, &associate): Includes information that is processed with not only name but also meaning. At the deepest level we make associations that are more likely to be remembered in the future.
It has been shown repeatedly that people’s memories improve when they make some type associations. For example, you could associate someone’s face with a famous person or the reverse, associate a famous individual with a friend of yours.

Psychologists studying the thinking process realize that there is more to memory than just deep processing. They have found the more elaborate the processing, the better you will remember something. The primary reason that elaboration is so successful is because it helps makes something distinct in your mind. Also used to make memories more lasting is the use of mental imagery. Some psychologists believe that mental imagery is so powerful, because people tend to remember images better than words. It has been proven that images can help individuals remember many things like learning a foreign language. An everyday use of mental imagery is remembering where you placed your remote control once you finished watching television last night.

We remember some information for years, and some we forget within a minute or even less. Besides two types of memory there are also three characteristics. Sensory memory is a type of memory that holds information extremely high in detail but is quickly lost. Some examples of sensory memory are the sights you see everyday when you’re looking out a window or the sound of a bird singing. Another type of memory is short term memory. It is information that is usually retained in storage slightly longer than sensory but still short only about 30 seconds or less. Some ways that you can improve short term memory is with rehearsal, which is the repetition of something and chunking which is grouping. If we have to remember a telephone number typically we keep repeating the number. But rather than saying it again & again in a big blob like 7835677876, you can chunk it into 783-567-7876. These techniques can be use to make information more lasting, moving it into the last type, the more stable and permanent long term memory. This is also the type we first think of when we think memory.

Memory is a subject that can fill volumes but an overview is needed to even start looking for tricks to improve it. Now that you know a little of how memory works you can better make it work for you.

Four Learning Styles

by: Jean Morgan


There are four learning styles that most people fit in to. Visual/verbal, tactile/kinesthetic, visual/non verbal and auditory/verbal. These four learning styles will help you to understand and process any information given to you. Once you know which style you fall in to, you can begin learning the best ways for you to study.
The visual/verbal learning style means that you learn the best from viewing information both visually and in a written format. It works best for you when your instructor uses the blackboard or an overhead projector. If the most important parts of a lecture are put into a bulletin format or used in an outline, you will find it much easier to follow along. Textbook information and class notes will be a great way for you to study and when you're trying to retain information or remember something, you often can "see" it or picture it in your mind.
Of the four learning styles, the visual/verbal person will want to use color coding to help them retain information from books or notes. Highlighters and different colored pens are a great way for this learner to absorb information. Summarizing important information from your notes or textbook is another good way for you to retain what you have learned. This person might also try flashcards, diagrams, illustrations and print-outs to aid in studying.
The second of the four learning styles is visual/non verbal. This person learns best when they are presented with pictures or visual aids. Instructors who incorporate film, videos, maps or diagrams will hold the attention of the visual/verbal learner. You may not find study groups helpful and would prefer to work in a quiet room. If you're trying to remember something, you might picture it in your mind. These learners often tend to be very artistic.
To aid in your retention of information, the visual/non verbal learner should try using flashcards that have important information on them. Illustrating them with pictures and symbols is another good way to help the information to be retained as well as using highlighters and pens.
The third of the four learning styles is tactile/kinesthetic. This learner enjoys "hands on" activities in the classroom. Any type of lab setting or field work will help this type of person to understand the information given. Instructor's that provide their students with demonstrations, presentations or student learning experiences will be helping the tactile/kinesthetic person learn.
Lectures might be hard for this person to sit through, and that's why it's important for them to sit in the front and take notes. Spelling shouldn't be a concern when you're writing notes and you should write down important words you here or draw pictures to depict them.
When you're studying, try incorporating action into it- read when you're on the exercise bike or walk back and forth while reciting information.
The last of the four learning styles is auditory/verbal. The auditory/verbal learner works best when information is given to them in an oral format. Lectures and group discussions work well for you and listening to audio tape information is a good idea too.
To study more efficiently, you might want to join a study group or find a person that you work with every day for a few hours on certain material. Read information out loud and tape record your lectures.
About The Author
Jean Morgan has several learning websites:
http://www.businessstudent.co.uk
http://www.kinverweb.co.uk
http://www.myinternetmarketingresources.com
jean@jeanmorgan.org



Found at http://www.ArticleCity.com/