What should one do to improve short term memory?

Question

I never seem to remember names and telephone numbers of people I am intrduced to.

Answer 1

Differences between short term memory and long term memory

We have seen that human memory comprises of three interrelated subsystems namely sensory register, short-term memory (STM) arid long-term memory (LTM). The sensory register as the name implies makes the environmental input or information available for a very short period consisting of milliseconds. The retention which forms the basis for the use of information in future is largely related to the systems of STM and LTM. Now let's find out what is STM and LTM ?

The nature and functioning of STM and LTM are different .The distinction may be made in terms of capacity, duration, type of information retained, and the causes of forgetting.These differences are given in Table - 1.

Sensory memory is the type of memory that occurs within the senses while it is being transmitted to the brain.

Short-Term Memory

While you are studying, look up for a moment and see around you ? What are the thoughts that are occurring to you at this moment ?

Do you know what you have just done ? You have identified the contents of your short-term, memory. Short-term memory can also be called as "working memory". For example (d) you look for a telephone number from the diary and after you finish talking, keep the diary back in your pocket for later use. Looking for and using the telephone number is an example of short term memory. You forget it again after dialling.

Short-term memory as the name implies stores memories for a short duration.

Long Term Memory

Can you remember the name of your childhood friend ?

Have you ever thought that how can you remember things/events which happened with you a long time ago. It is possible because of Long- Term Memory. Unlike the sensory memory and short term memory, long-term memory is not limited in capacity or duration. Information in LTM can last as long as we live.

Long- Term Memory is a relatively permanent memory in which information is stored for use at a later time.



Characteristics Short-term Memory Long-term Memor



Capacity Limited. Up to 7 items Unlimited

Or chunks

Duration Usually up to 30 seconds May range from days

But varies under different to a life time.

Situations

Type of information Visual images, sounds, Meaningful verbal

Words, sentences material life events,



Causes of forget- Displacement of old Interference, inadequate

Information by new one organization of material

Table-1 Comparison of Short-Term Memory (STM) and Long-Term Memory (LTM)

It is clear from Table - 1 that while short-term memory has limited capacity and exists for short durations, long-term memory has no known limit. People show-large scale variation in memorizing stones and poems.The Vedas have been received from one generation to the other in an oral tradition. There are scholars who still retain and recite Vedas, epics and the life stories of Lord Rama and Krishna.

We also find that short-term memory has pieces of information which are simple and relatively less organized. In contrast, long-term memory consists of a broad range of information and experiences. They are often meaningfully organized and refer to a wide spectrum of information ranging from concrete personal life events to abstract theoretical knowledge.

Finally, the causes of forgetting in these two memory systems are also different. .



In short-term memory, forgetting takes place because of the entry of new information in the system.New information displaces the old information.This leads to forgetting of the old information.



In Long-Term memory various kinds of events, experiences and stimuli are retained.The forgetting is caused by numerous factors including interference from one information to other, lack of organization in the material retained and or unavailability of appropriate cues at the time of retrieval.

7.5 Factors Influencing Memory and Forgetting

Memory is a very complex psychological process and any kind of mechanical analogy in terms of storage, processing and retrieval (e.g., tape recorder, computer) falls short. In this-active process in which information are retained not only as it is but it may be subjected to construction and reconstruction depending on a variety of factorSiUnder&tanding these factors is helpful to clarify the nature of memory and making it more effective. Let us examine some of the important factors which have been found critical to retention.

1. Decay of Memory Traces: It is a common experience that memories of many events and experiences become "dwa" over time, like the colours -of a picture bleached by the sun.This notion was proposed by many early psychologists as a general explanation of forgetting. However, people remember many events of early childhood during old age without distortion. [Therefore decay can be considered as general cause of forgetting however, studius have shown that decay is an important factor in sensory memory and in STM when there is lack of rehearsal.



2. Interference: Whatever we learn we learn in some context. Thus every experience of learning is preceded and followed by some other experience. These experiences are often interrelated and influence each other. When such influences are adverse we call them interference. When earlier learning influences present learning it is called proactive interference and when present experience influences previous learning then it is termed retroactive interference. It has been noted that greater the similarity between two sets of materials to be learned, the greater will be the degree of interference between them.



3. Motivation : According to Freud forgetting is caused by a motive of displeasure. We forget because we do not want to remember something. We may exclude memories or push them out of consciousness. Freud called it repression. Its a common experience that we usually remember pleasant events more often than unpleasant ones. Also, we find a strong tendency to remember incomplete tasks more than completed tasks.



4. Retrieval Failure: Recent studies have revealed that a lot of forgetting particularly in long-term memory, is due to absence or non-availability of retrieval cues at the time of recall. The changes in context associated with physical and mental states from the occasion of learning (encoding) to recall (retrieval) often result in poor retention scores. We often "blank out" during examinations.



5. Reconstruction: The meaning of forgetting in terms of failure to retrieve gives the idea that memory storage is static. This, however, is not the case. Memory and remembering in particular has been shown to be a constructive process. In fact rumors often show our tendency to highlight of certain details and assimilating some. It seems that recall is always a combination of retrieval and reconstruction.

6. Ways of Enhancing Memory

It is obvious that forgetting is usually a source of trouble for people. Everyday conversation, class room participation, examination, interview, presentation and communication in meetings often involve remembering information. Failure in doing so has negative consequences which all of us experience in different degrees in our lives. As a result most of us are interested in improving memory. The study of memory aids and related techniques is called mnemonics. Some of the techniques used in improving memory are listed below:

1. Organization: Wattle preparing for learning a learner needs to pay attention to, organize the material in -some form. Such an organization may help by creating a natural context and provide relevant cues while retrieving the learned material. If the material lacks natural organization, an artificial organization may be created by the learner.

2. Concentration: One of the main reasons of forgetting is lack of proper allocation of attention resources to the material while processing the samaras a result the material is not stored and we fail to recall when we need it. Thus by focusing attention on the material while processing we can increase the probability of storage and recall.

3. Method of loci: As the name implies this technique uses associations with place or task. The visualization of the same provides cues for recalling the task. By choosing any action properly one can use memory at any point in the day. Use of such mnemonic codes allows one to have vivid and distinctive associations between new information and prior- knowledge. Being related to context thecues become very effective. For instance one may have a clear visual image of a building, its rooms, furniture and other details. These may be linked to different ideas and using these linkages memory of those ideas can be enhanced.

4. Receding: While dealing with non-meaningful material one may recede the items to be remembered in a more meaningful manner.Recoding may take many forms. For example people may use the first letters of all the items and make a sentence. This kind of narrative structure works as a cue. Acronyms [e.g. U.N.O., TV) are also used for this purpose in which all the first letters 'are used Using elaboration one may add more information which makes the material distinctive. Chunking is a good example of receding. If a large series of numbers is presented it becomes difficult to remember.The same, however, may be divided in two or three chunks in some meaningful way using ingenuity. Using elaborate coding one may put many items in a .story form and recall the same easily

What you have Learnt

Human memory is a dynamic system. It helps us to retain information and make the same available for future use. We receive information through various sense modalities. The information is registered in the sensory memory and through selective attention it goes to short-term memory (STM). Then it is encoded and enters is to the long-term memory. Sensory memory lasts for one second. The STM has limited capacity and lasts for few seconds or minutes. The LTM has unlimited capacity and persists for hours and months or evenlife time. The three sub-systems of memory differ in terms of capacity, duration and mechanisms of forgetting, interference, motivation, retrieval failure and reconstruction. Capacity for retention can be enhanced through organization, of material, concentration, using method of loci and receding.

Answer 2

People often have difficulties remembering vital information about new introductions, and one big reason for that is mental uneasiness while you are receiving such info. Often, you may be nervous or anxious when meeting new people and when names and phone numbers are presented, the mind fails to register them properly because you are disturbed. To overcome this problem, try to keep calm when meeting new people, and try to maintain friendly eye-contact. When told a name, repeat it aloud; you can try the same with phone numbers as well.

If you remain calm throughout the introduction and exchange of vital information, you will also find it easier to link faces with the information stored in your brain.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

You didn't state your age so that's hard to evaluate. With aging, this is normal, to a point. If you're <<40 tell your Dr. If it is severe, could be due to medication, extreme stress, early dementia or trauma. Best let the Dr. figure this one out. In the meantime, garlic has been touted to improve memory. You can take it in capsule form or eat lots of it, I love it. You can also do difficult puzzles like sudoku, crosswords, or something that will give your brain a good workout.

Answer 4

Eat more fish, or take Omega 3 tablets. Gingko Biloba and St. Johns Wort is known for improving short term and long term memory

Answer 5

With age the short time memory decreases. In amnesia the short term memory is lost but long term memory is ok.

Answer 6

DONT do it, different things work for different people, and don't believe what that guy says my grandad has been smoking for years and touchwood hes still okay, it ***** u up, yes but its not a good way to improve it

Answer 7

I would love to be able to remember those kind of things. It has always played a big problem in learning in school. It has been very tough for me too.

Answer 8

ah yes!!! ah what did you jus say!!!!
no need of worry , act like a sensible person, and don't tell people that you're a .....you know..... and try to learn things in a systamatic way like making tabular columns and and make yourself busier but do also spend some time free!!

Answer 9

Write things down and or carry a PDA! Mini ones work well too! i have 3 mini PDAs and they work great!

Answer 10

meditation.it imprives both long term and short term memory

Answer 11

make a list, repeat out loud, association.