Things to remember...
By Kimmy Ciampi and Madison Taylor
Why did we choose this topic?
We chose this topic to understand how our memory works and the tips needed to improve it. Very little is known about our memory, our research could potentially help others improve their memory as well as ours.
Memory
Memory is what we remember, and gives us the capability to learn from previous experiences. It is the ability to remember past experiences, and the ability to process or recall previously learned facts, experiences, impressions, skills and habits. It is the things learned and retained from our activity or experience, by recall and recognition.
Whats going on in the brain?
- Our memory is a brain-wide process in which several different areas of the brain work with one another (distributed processing).
- When creating a memory, nerves in the brain takes the information through the hippocampus. The hippocampus is important for memory because it is the only place in the brain where new neurons are regenerated regularly. It forms new synapses by putting all the information together and creating a new memory.
- The hippocampus doesn't encode everything equally, and routine or incomprehensible things will be left out.
- New memories stay in hippocampus for a while
- Old memories get pushed out by neurons and then travel to the cortex and stored throughout the brain
Research and Psychologist
- Aristotle said mind was like a blank state and that their experiences make them who they are.
- 18th Century English philosopher David Hartley was the first to include the nervous system in memory studies.
- William James in America and Wilhelm Wundt Were both important in the world of psychology and did research about memory functions
- Théodule-Armand Ribot Created Ribots law, states that people with amnesia will forget new memories more easily the older memories
Interesting things
- Most short term memories lasts 20-30 seconds
- Caffeine doesn't make you remember things better, it only makes you more alert so that you pay more attention
- Sleep helps you remember things from the past
- Old people don't lose their memory because their brain stops working, it's actually because they stop exercising their brains
How We Make Memories - Crash Course Psychology #13
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