 Imagine our lives without memory. There would be no savouring the remembrances of joyful moments, no guilt or misery over painful recollections, no learning of what to do or avoid doing again. Each moment would be a fresh experience. But each person would be a stranger, each task, dressing, cooking, biking, a challenge, every language a foreign language.

 Our memory ahs the capacity for remembering countless voices, sounds and songs, tastes, smells, textures, faces, places, and happenings.

 Have you ever experienced a song playing that triggers a memory of something, someone?  How about a certain smell triggering a memory?  Or a certain food?

 Clear memories of emotional moments when the brain command: “PRINT THIS!”  For example: › Where were you when you saw the images of planes crashing into the towers of the World Trade Centre? › Will and Kate’s wedding day!!

 Answer the following questions about the items we use day after day: › Who is pictured on the $10 bill? › What letters do not appear on a telephone dial? › On an ordinary traffic light, is the red or the green light on top?

1. Short Term Memory Stores information for a few seconds (i.e. phone number) Takes sounds/visual images and turns them into something meaningful (i.e. a phone number is remembered by repeating it or visualizing it on a piece of paper)

 Stores 7 items (your brain will eliminate items if you try to store more in your short term memory)  Try It:  Peach1.  Book2.  Sword3.  Car4.  Enemy5.  Mirror6.  Shoe7.  Thermometer8.  Clock9.  Brick10.  Bed11.  Salt12.  Flower13.  Calendar14.  Airplane15.

 Peach1.  Book2.  Sword3.  Car4.  Enemy5.  Mirror6.  Shoe7.  Thermometer8.  Clock9.  Brick10.  Bed11.  Salt12.  Flower13.  Calendar14.  Airplane15.  Count as correct, only those words that match the list in the correct order. (On average, people score 7 correct).

 “Chunking” – giving meaning to chunks of information  Try to remember the following group of letters ckud – hsero - ppael

 How much easier is it when we give meaning to these letters? duck – horse - apple

 Stores information for minutes to a lifetime  It stores: sounds, pictures, language, tastes, and smells  Vast storage powers but sometimes difficult to recall

 How do we recall information? › Give it meaning  Example: Remember the horse kicked over the pail in the stable. It is easier to remember meaning than exact words (i.e. summarize)

 New info more difficult to recall (i.e. a similar telephone number may interfere with retrieving an old one, or vice versa).  Emotions (i.e. stress)

1. Context – understand ideas rather than simply memorizing words and phrases (i.e. thinking/inquiry or application type questions) 2. Don’t Cram – short periods of study are more effective than one long period (i.e. 1hr/day versus 7hr in one day). The mind sorts and organizes between sessions. Cramming is sometimes necessary but not useful in remembering and understanding in the long run.

3. Active Learning vs. Passive Learning - take notes - explain material back to yourself or a friend - whole learning (skim entire unit first before reviewing in pieces) 4. Over Learn – especially important parts. Overlearned material will say with you while “barely” learned material will escape you.

1. Learning transfer 2. Be motivated – keep goals in mind 3. Rewards 4. Gain feedback 5. Define your purpose 6. Performance – observe behaviour 7. Middle 8. The Unusual – associate what you learn with unusual experience 9. Mnemonic devices – link what has been learned with things to make remember more easily (i.e. M.A.I.N)

 Read page 86 › What is the name of an illness that affects one’s memory? › What area of brain is affected? › Using the information in this note, hypothesize why you think meditation therapy (i.e. repeated finger movements while accompanying singing) increases blood flow to the area of the brain that affects memory.  Read page 87 › Using the arguments presented and what you have learned about memory brainstorm ways internet use or technological construction of the webpages could be altered to achieve better learning results.  Read pages “Memory Alteration” › Answer questions 1 and 2