What is Memory?

This website is devoted to the subject of human memory.  Memory is the ability of humans to mentally process, store and retrieve information.  Humans have the ability to manage many types of information including:

• Images – two and three dimensional objects
• Colors - both alone and organized into images
• Sounds – characteristic sounds such as bird chirps or waves on sand; tones alone and combined into musical arrangements
• Smells – a key link to some past memories
• Tastes – more complex than once thought
• Feels – (tactile) the feel of sand or the distinctive shape and feel of a coke bottle
• Symbols – including those symbols with special meaning such as the alphabet,   number system or $, +, %
• Topographical – spatial concepts, where we are and how we get somewhere else

And very importantly, humans can correlate, cross-reference and perform operations on information as an adjunct to the memory.  We will explore these powerful attributes on this site since they allow us to improve our ability to remember seemingly disjointed information.

 
Temporal Direction

We sometimes think of memory as applying to remembering those things in our past – this is called “retrospective memory”.  Retrospective memory includes episodic memories (memories surrounding past events like a birthday party) and semantic memory which is facts about the world (Paris is the capital of France). 

In some practical ways “prospective memory” is more important to our efficient functioning.  Prospective memory is the memory of future intentions such as remembering a doctor’s appointment at 4 pm next Wednesday.  This memory can be a combination of past experiences (how I repaired this chair the last time it broke) with future plans (what I need to get at the store to fix this chair this afternoon).  Some lists change rapidly – today’s grocery shopping list – and we need special methods to work with this and other special prospective memory items.  

 Memory Duration

“Sensory memory” is the name typically used for the shortest-term memory.  We seldom think about it as memory since it happens so rapidly and automatically – but sensory memory refers to the processing and storage that takes place in the first ½ second that we perceive something.  An example of this is our ability to look at an object for a split second, close our eyes and remember what it looked like.  Studies have shown that this type of memory is very limited and degrades very rapidly.  Usually we can only recall 2 or 3 items and we forget them rapidly – often in less than 2 seconds. 

“Short-term memory” refers to our ability to recall items from a few seconds up to a minute with rehearsal – that is without working at memorizing them.  Short-term memory typically is limited to 4 or 5 objects; however studies have shown that a technique called “chunking” can be used to take advantage of this ability.  For example – it is difficult to remember FBIPHDTWAIBM – but much easier to remember FBI PHD TWA IBM. 

“Long-term memory” is much different from sensory and short-term memory which are both very limited in the amount of information stored and the time it is retrievable.  From a practical perspective, long-term memory is both infinitely large and unlimited in duration.  That is to say, the human brain (which in this context includes the entire nervous system) has the potential to store as much information as any person wants to remember and can retain that information for his or her lifetime.   

How Much Do You Remember?

Can you remember public events that occurred when you were four years old?  What about your teen years?  It probably depends on how dramatic these events were and how often they have been reviewed since you were young.  Take a look at some of these old newspaper articles and refresh your memory on what was going on at the time. 

Why Improve?

If our memories are limitless in both capacity and duration why try to improve?  Perhaps the better question is “Since our memories are potentially limitless why do we ever forget anything?”  We know that in many ways we don’t live up to our potential and the memory is certainly one of those areas.  The purpose of this website is to explore the ways in which our attitudes and actions limit our memory.  We will examine those things like nutrition, sleep patterns, learning methods and motivation to find what limits our memory and then we can take specific steps to improve.