Rushil Week 13: Memory
Memory is quite a complex topic. According to a Harvard Health Publication, memory is the “ability to recall information.” While the definition is constrained to four simple words, I feel it is much more than that; as if a whole world of ideas can be discovered upon a closer look. Most people tend to forget the power of memory. For example, people use websites like Quizlet and SparkNotes to study for a test, not realizing the power their mind holds. This is an example of active recall, one of the many processes the brain uses to retrieve information from memory.
We often take advantage of these processes, not realizing the potential our brains have. There is short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory involves information that only requires recalling for a short period of time, and vice versa for long-term memory. We use short-term memory for things like “turning at an intersection,” while we use long-term memory for things like our daily routines. Imagine if we lost the ability to form long-term memories. We wouldn’t know how to brush our teeth, how to change our clothes, or inevitably how to even walk. Most people don’t understand the grave consequences of this, illustrating the colossal power of the human mind.
My grandmother was diagnosed with dementia a year ago. Over time, I’ve watched her memory slowly deteriorate, as she broke down into a shell of her previous self. She went from forgetting the simple things like where she left her cup to forgetting how to chew. Although watching this was a heartbreaking experience, I began to understand the power of the human mind, and how it goes unseen to the general eye of the public.
 |
| Image from Google |
Rushil, I understand what you mean about memory. It is an interesting topic. I somehow remember my game controls out of instinct while I struggle to remember some vocab words for English. I don't quite understand how memory works. Why do I remember random things from the past but not anything important like my chemistry equations? Regardless, memory is quite the powerful tool we have at our disposal. The ability to remember is important and we use it in all our daily lives. Even everyday actions like brushing are teeth are out of memory. The repetitious things we do everyday is straight out of memory. Without memory, we are nothing.
ReplyDeleteHello Rushil. I love the stark analytic perspective that you took on memory really going in depth with breaking down the different aspects of our memories and how that expands into broader concepts of how memory applies to everyday life. On the topic of testing and memory, I have always thought myself to be good with short-term memory rather than long-term. When it comes to testing my memory leading up to studying and the exam is exceptional with a strong ability to remember even the small facts and details, but I have the terrible and almost unconscious habit of dismissing the information as soon as the test is done and never reconciling the information to lay it deeper in my long term memory. This habit has been quite the mark on my ability to perform on long-term exams like finals or pop quizzes because I have not specifically studied for the subject and labeled it as a thing of importance in my memory. I don’t think that my memory is too terrible and it has served me well with my studies but it goes to show how the different types of memory can be integral to performance. This also reminds me of how easily we forget things. Sometimes you just walk into a room and are not able to recall why you were there in the first place. In day-to-day life we forget so much as our brain sorts through information it is kind of scary to consider how much of our lives we have lost.
ReplyDeleteHey Rushil, I really liked your blog on the complexities of memory. A couple weeks ago in AP Psychology, we had an entire unit on memory, and that unit made me realize how complicated memory is. Like you mentioned, we have two memories: Long term and Short term. Our ability to almost instantly forget about things in the short term memory almost immediately after is definitely fascinating. Like, I often forget the definition of many vocab words the day after taking the vocab test. It really shows how limited and exclusive the long term memory is. Only really important things get stored in there, such as names of people close to you and important information. Overall, I really liked your blog on how fascinating memory is.
ReplyDeleteHello Rushil! Similar to you, I wrote my blog about the complexities of memory, however I focused on a more scientific angle. As Mai also wrote about the effects of dementia, it is honestly frightening to think about who we would be without our memories, our fundamental shaping factors. I also think that understanding the difference between long and short term memory can help us improve the way we interpret and organize information in our brains, either consciously or unconsciously. This can help with school work, such as studying for quizzes, or understanding more societal factors, such as traffic laws which we should learn to follow subconsciously. I also think we often overlook the way the human mind functions and do not appreciate it enough. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete