Tips on improving memory?

[gene]

Help!

 

I'm having trouble remembering things that i read before in other books, especially science books whereby there are lots of facts and theories. After a few weeks, i would forget the facts that i have learnt and most of the time can hardly recall them. So, can anyone give me some tips to improve my memory?

THanks

[NSX]

Glider posted a cool response towards this topic here

 

We don't 'record' information like a computer or a video. We store cues. Recall is a reconstructive process (hence the unreliability of eyewitness testimony). For all intents and purposes, our memory capacity is limitless. As I said, we store cues rather than actual trains of events like a video. In that, I suppose you could say memory is 'compressed'. We only consciously use a fraction of our brains. However, the entire brain is in use. We never use the part to which we have access to its full potential though. To a degree, yes. There are two main processes to memory; encoding and recall. In order to remember something, we first need to have it in memory. i.e. we need to 'capture' the salient information and encode it in long term memory. This means we need to recognise its salience, register the information consciously, and understand it (we cannot remember that which has no meaning for us). Recall is a different process and the one that most often fails. It has been argued that (pathology or trauma aside) we never lose encoded information from long-term memory, we lose only the trace for it.

 

The way to remember any given piece of information is to ensure we have as many traces linked with it as possible (e.g. it must link to other stored information, the more links, the greater chance of recall). There are methods and techniques for improving recall. Mnemonics for example. In essence, these revolve around you training yourself to a) pay attention to the information, b) form as many immediate links to it as you can. For example, if you wanted to remember the reference "Shachter and Singer (1962)" who proposed the cognitive labelling theory of emotion, you could picture a Singer sowing machine in a shack. This gives you an immediate link to the information using imagary. This technique is often used (with some success) to learn languages, or at least to help build vocabulary.

 

I find that mnemonics and finding patterns help with remember things.

[Dudde]

I don't know if I can remember all that...

[gene]

Thanks man, this is awesome stuff!

[YT2095]

also you`ll find that QUALITY sleep as opposed to quantity will also be of benefit the night prior to a test/exam.

 

Fish and certain Vit B numbers will assist for longer term mem, complex carbohydrates the night before as Glider siad in another post, coupled with high blood sugars will help in brain funtionality. but don`t eat a heavy meal prior to the exam!

 

as for tips/tricks. I often find it helpfull to VISUALISE a practical way this fact/figure can be employed in daily life. then when the time comes, the "formula" acts as a trigger for this picure, and if there`s something wrong with it or I have to "fill in the gaps" it`s quite easy, because how else could it work in my picture if such and such were wrong or missing?

 

silly little poems or jokes abouts somethings often helps too when there`s alot to remmember such as a list or sequence

[NSX]

hehe

For sure YT!

 

Sleep is soooo important;

I should sleep more; i miss so many lectures b/c I sleep during them

 

[gene]

But YT, what do you mean but QUALITY Sleep?

Oh, and also i think that there is a supplement that helps improve memory. Is it gingko biloba? Or something like that? So, is it even wise to eat them. Because i heard that taking sich supplement or vitamins and tremendous side-effects. Well, i am not sure whether it is true or not.

[gene]

ONe more thing. How do memories form in our mind. Like a storage system?

[YT2095]

quality VS quantity re:sleep.

 

have you ever slept for ages and still woke up feeling YUCK!

or had an hours kip in the afternoon or something and woke up feeling great, realy refreshed?

 

thats the difference between the 2

often you`ll find (I know I do) that if you go to bed exhausted, you`ll awaken feeling pretty yucky, go to bed tired you`ll wake up tired!

well now you`re probably wondering, well isn`t that the whole reason for going to sleep? well it`s only part right. if you can do some press ups and sit ups before getting into bed, it often helps you sleep better and you wake up feeling not so tired, I`m not quite sure WHY it works, I just know that it does

also never sleep on a full stomach, your body will be working throughout the night digesting it, and you`ll have had little rest.

hope that clears it up a little

 

as for how the memories are stored, Glider`s the most qualified to answer that one.

[gene]

Thanks YT!

Oh, i was wondering about this question when walking home from school. So the question is; When metabolism Activity ceases in our body, are we considered dead or not? Leading to this question is another: Does metabolic activties take place all the time?

Well, i think the questions are the same, but maybe the phrase makes it seem different... I don't know too...

[YT2095]

well it would be a safe bet to say that once the metabolism ceases, we`re as good as dead yeah

there are loop holes in that, that I dare say some one will point out, such as life support machines etc... but as not to split hairs, no metabolism, no life.

although Chemical reactions will still take place long after we`re dead, but their not dependant on the "System" as a whole.

[Glider]

There are no loopholes. No metabolism = no life. Life support machines would be irrelevant, as these machines only ..er..support life.