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Mind Games - Page 2
Worried about your results? You probably needn't be. Many misconceptions exist concerning what's normal when it comes to memory function. Although your mind does undergo changes as you age -- starting in your twenties -- not all memory and learning functions decline with age. And a few lapses in memory are not necessarily indicative of cognitive decline.
For those memory changes that are a normal part of aging, there are several things you can do to compensate for them and minimize their effects. The first step is to distinguish between normal memory changes and unusual memory loss that may be due to disease. Learning how your memory works and how it evolves with age -- sometimes for the better -- can help you recognize the fundamentals of memory. Some lapses are normal memory changes for which you can easily compensate.
How Memory Operates
You encounter massive amounts of information every day, and your brain is faced with the task of determining what, and what not, to keep for future use. The way your brain determines what to remember and what to forget is arrived at through a four-stage filtering process.
Stage 1 -- Sensory
You initially absorb information or experiences through sensory memory where they are stored for just an instant. Your sensory memory contains information received immediately into your brain from your senses. Most of what enters your sensory memory disappears immediately.
Stage 2 -- Short Term
Those things that you focus your attention on proceed to short-term memory. Typically, a person can hold between five to nine pieces or units of information there at one time. These units of information could be numbers, letters, words, images, or something similar.
Stage 3 -- Long Term
Some of the information in short-term memory is actively processed in such a way that it proceeds to long-term memory. To proceed to long-term memory, the information must be translated into a meaningful mental representation based on how it sounds, what it looks like, or what it means. It must be actively processed by repeating it, rehearsing it, visualizing it, linking it to other information, or reflecting upon it.
This process is called encoding. By connecting the information with existing memories and knowledge stored in your long-term memory, your brain forms associations and gives the information meaning.
Stage 4 -- Recollection
The last stage of memory is the recollection process. The more actively you process a piece of information, and the more emotionally important it is to you, the easier the memory will be to retrieve later. That's why isolated pieces of information are harder to memorize than those associated with existing knowledge. The more associations between the new information and things that you already know, the better you will learn it.
Finding greater meaning in the events and details of your personal experiences will help you make them lasting memories.
