You’re a student and your mid-term exams are coming up. Your finals are just around the corner, and you’re stressed about how you’re going to memorize all of those textbooks. Aren’t you? You’re staying up nights reviewing the same paper over and over again, but with no help in getting it encrypted inside your head; the dark circles under your eyes say so at least.
You’re constantly consuming caffeine like your life depends on it, all in the purpose of memorizing what you have in hand, yet your memory lets you down on your big test and all sorts of information is blanked.
If you’re not a student anymore, you still have memory problems. You forgett where you left your car keys the last time you picked them up, you got in a room and you have no idea why you’re in there, you’re driving but suddenly don’t know where you’re heading. Such a frustrating problem, isn’t it?
But what if I told you that there is a way to prevent all of that, that you could improve your memory on the long run.
With some effort and some tweaking of your normal routine you can store every important detail in your long term memory and easily recall it, but we first have to understand how our memory works, its types and stages.
Types of memory
“Memory is the process of maintaining information over time.” (Matlin, 2005)
In short, the term memory simply refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store and retrieve information, not all memories are the same though.
1.Sensory memory:
This is the part where any memory is firstly stored, for a brief second before we can even process it.
For example, let’s say someone said something when you weren’t paying attention, or even listening to what they were saying ,but then you said ‘what did you just say’ and simultaneously realize you already know what they said.
The thing is we only attend to some of this memory, and allow it to go on to the next stage which is the short term memory.
2.Short-term memory:
It is also called working memory because it’s always active, as we talk, think, and act; though it’s temporary ( up to 20 seconds) and has a low capacity, researchers have found that it can contain only up to 7 items of information.
We forget most of what’s in here but if we focus on it, we then allow it to go to the long-term memory. Methods like repeating and chunking (combining small bits of information into bigger, familiar pieces) can help us increase the capacity of this memory.
3.Long-term memory:
This is what really matters, this is where all our memories are stored for a long time. Though it’s outside of our consciousness, we can call it into our working memory when we need it.
Frequently used information and important ones (date of birth, wedding dates and such) are easy to recall but it’s not always that easy since we have subtypes within this Long-term memory. The two subtypes are:
- An explicit memory: conscious recall (knowledge of facts and events)
- An implicit memory: unconscious recall (knowledge of how to do things)
Let’s just say that putting something into your memory isn’t the same as getting it back out, there are processes to do so. These are included in the stages of memory.
Stages of Memory
1.Encoding:
This is where we process information into memories, it’s either done visually (through picturing it), acoustically (hearing or repeating), and semantically (through meaning).
2.Storage:
This contains the nature of the memory as we mentioned above: sensory, short-term memory or long-term memory.
3.Retrieval:
This essentially means getting information out of storage; there are two types of retrieval:
Recall:
This is where you remember that type of information on purpose and move it from your long-term memory to your short-term one. There is a question that you scan your memory for its answer. For example, what did you do last Friday?
Recognition:
It’s the association of an event or physical object with one previously experienced or encountered.
It basically involves a process of comparison of information. Thus, recognition requires only a simple familiarity decision, this is fairly easy most of the time since it’s linked to a cue.
For example, say you meet someone and you recognize his familiar face yet you struggle with remembering their name.
Basically, the only difference between recognition and recall is that the first one involves a cue whereas second does not.
What makes us forget?
This is the point we’re all curious about, why did I forget where I parked my car? Why did I forget my friend’s birthday? And why can’t I recall the information I memorized for my test?
A cognitive psychologist called Elizabeth Loftus discovered that there are four major reasons for your forgetfulness:
1.Retrieval failure:
This failure to retrieve information is due to inaccessibility, if we don’t often recall and use information, with time it’ll disappear.
A theory why this occurs is called memory decay, which suggests that each new memory creates a ‘trace’ that can fade away if not accessed regularly. Other reasons can be that you’re simply tired; you have some physiological or mental stress, aphasia (the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon).
2.Interference:
This can happen when we try to remember many things simultaneously, or a case where a new information interferes with an old one because they’re almost the same.
3.Failure to store:
Sometimes, it happens that we forget details about certain things because we don’t register them in our memory in the first place.
4.Motivated forgetting:
This is the case where we voluntarily want to forget unpleasant memories, or unconsciously repress them due to some trauma.
Other reasons
If you’re wondering why you forgot that chapter you already studied, it mainly has to do with the fact you didn’t revise it. Psychologically speaking, we forget certain things if we don’t think about them repeatedly.
The more you revisit a memory, the clearer it is. Old memories if not revisited tend to decay. A lack of proper sleep is another reason for forgetting because most long-term memories are developed while we’re sleeping.
A bad diet, anxiety and depression can all affect memory recovery.
How to improve your memory
In our early 20’s, we start to lose our brain cells. That changes how your brain stores new memories. It’s a normal part of getting older. But you can slow this age-related memory loss, and even improve your memory by making use of some of these tips:
1.Stick to a good diet:
Avoid alcohol, sugar and drugs, and just so you know, your mother was right. Eating a good breakfast really is important. Not because it makes you smarter though, but because it helps you remember things better, like lines from a speech or facts from a book; most likely it’s due to the blood sugar boost you get when you eat.
Eating vegetables like broccoli and leafy green ones like spinach are great for your memory. Fish and foods that are high in folic acid and omega-3 are also good for you.
2.Stop Multitasking:
Although you might think switching between several tasks is more productive, the sad truth is that it forces your brain to ‘reset’ each time you switch tasks, switching back and forth between tasks, whether it was by choice or because of interruptions, can affect our focus and lead to future memory failure.
Try to dedicate your attention to one single thing at a time.
Check out this article that tackles the truth about multitasking.
3.Take mental pictures:
If you often forget where you placed your keys last, try to think of what surrounds them. Next time you put them down make sure to take a mental picture of what’s sitting with them, or the color of the table you placed them on.
4.Make use of Mnemonics:
Some of the world memory champions flat out admitted that they don’t have “exceptional memories”, they simply mastered the art of mnemonics.
The best of these are those you relate to jokes, songs, funny imagery, etc.
You can also use acronyms, and other mental tools that can help you remember a specific piece of information.
5.Make to-do lists and write down notes:
They can help you in remembering things and knowing each day what needs to be prioritized, this way you’ll be able to remember everything without skipping a part over the other.
Make sure to actually write down your notes on paper since this will far more guarantee that you’ll remember what you jot down.
6.Memory games:
This is the fun part; researchers actually found these games useful. To increase your memory power and for an active mind you can play Sudoku, chess, crosswords, word-recall games, Tetris, or any other online memory game. These will all help strengthen your memory.
7.Be organized:
The information that you have in your memory is very well structured and organized. Try to do the same by separating your notes and documents in a way that makes sense, tidying up and putting everything in place, putting similar concepts and terms you want to memorize together.
8.Use Mind maps:
For students who constantly struggle with memorizing a chapter or two, this is your exam salvation.
Mind mapping is sometimes described as a tree with the main ideas represented as branches and topics of lesser importance represented as twigs. You can have it simple or complex, it doesn’t matter. Be creative and have fun with it. Trust me, it will help.
Activities like reading, meditating, dancing, practicing deep listening, as well as being social and exercising can all also help improve and sharpen your memory. Chewing gum and enjoying a nice piece of chocolate from time to time can help too.
At last, you should know that memories are a key, not to the past, but to the future. Make sure to continue improving them throughout your life time.