Mentalrobics^®

Mentalrobics^®

• My Favorites
• Search
• Subscribe via RSS
• Browse Articles
• All Articles
• Creativity Articles
• Vocabulary Articles
• Memory Articles
• Stress Articles
• Topics
• All Topics
• Creativity Topics
• Vocabulary Topics
• Memory Topics
• Stress Topics
• Special Topics
• Vocabulary
• Boost Memory
• Diet, Fitness & the Mind
• Most Popular Articles

Have you ever been introduced to someone and then forgotten their name a minute later? Here's a little tip to help you remember. When you are introduced, make an effort to repeat their name out loud.

For example:
"It's nice to meet you, Bruce. My name is..." or
"My sister's name is Karin too!"

By just saying their name out loud, you will be reinforcing it in your memory and it will be much more difficult to forget. If you can link it to someone else that you know (like your sister in the above example), you will have one more way to help you remember.

Semantic memory refers to the memory of meanings and knowledge. For example, semantic memory would be used to remember your mother's birthday. The location of semantic memory in the brain is still debated, but many scientists believe that semantic memory is widely distributed across the entire brain.

Semantic memory is what is most often emphasized in schoolwork. The student is often required to memorize facts for later recall. It is interesting to note that semantic memory requires repetition whereas episodic memory is by definition the memory of a one-time event.

Episodic memory is the memory of the time, place and emotional state of events that you experienced. The formation of episodic memories is closely tied to the hippocampus. Without the hippocampus, you would not be able to remember events that you experienced, although you might still be able to use procedural memory to learn new tasks.

It is believed that the hippocampus stores episodic memories for a short time, after which they are consolidated into the cortex. Many researchers believe that episodic memories are transformed into semantic memories over time. This would explain why old memories are often recalled as a kind of pre-written story instead of as a memory of the actual event.

The reason that people need to sleep remains mostly a mystery, but many scientists believe that memory consolidation is part of it. Memory consolidation is the process by which recent memories are strengthened into long term memories. It is believed that memories are stored in the hippocampus for a short time, and that they are transferred to the cortex as part of consolidation.

An important thing to take away from this is that sleep reinforces learning. If you sleep after learning some material, you will remember it better than if you did not sleep. Thus, it is not advisable to study and take an exam on the same day. If you can sleep in between, the memories will have a chance to become consolidated and you will have better recall.

Procedural memory is the memory that involves the learning of a skill. If you learn to knit a sweater, then you are using your procedural memory. This type of memory is often used without thinking about it. For example, if you have learned how to ride a bike, you no longer have to consciously think about pedaling; your body just does it. Procedural memory is very long lasting. Once we learn something in this way, it is very difficult to unlearn it. Hence the phrase, "It's like riding a bike."

Some evidence seems to show that the cerebellum and basal ganglia are the parts of the brain that are primarily responsible for this type of memory and that the hippocampus has little involvement. This may be why people with Alzheimer's Disease rarely lose their procedural memory.