Forgetting: A Lost Thought
By: Drake Girdley
What is "Forgetting"? Why does it interest me?
The apparent loss of information that has already been processed, to the point where the info could not be recalled is how forgetting can be defined. The phenomenon of the process we call "forgetting", despite its simplicity, is actually a very complex process inside of the brain. Now, the question is, why exactly do we forget?
What the heck is going on up there?
The 100 trillion synapses of the brain each store small amounts of information related to large numbers of memories. Each time new memories are stored, synapses are recruited into representing it, which degrades whatever else the synapses were also previously representing. As a result, over time memories degrade naturally unless they are refreshed by an incident, action, or possibly just recall.
How To STOP Forgetting
Research
Scientists Perspective
In 1885, Herman Ebbinghaus extrapolated the hypothesis of the exponential nature of forgetting.
R= e(t/s)
where "R" is memory retention, "s"is the relative strength of memory, and "t"is time.
R= e(t/s)
where "R" is memory retention, "s"is the relative strength of memory, and "t"is time.