Why Can’t I Remember?
Visit the Office of Academic Support
Furst Hall 412
646-592-4285
[Link]@[Link]
Test Your Memory Skills
Try to memorize the following words in 30 seconds:
Ball
Tree
Yellow
Table
Cemetery
Hydrogen
Plastic
Picture
Daisy
Laptop
Bank
Lake
Pineapple
Luggage
What strategy did you use to remember the words?
Draw a Dollar Bill
•Did you notice how difficult it was to remember the
details despite how frequently you handle dollar bills?
How Does Memory Work?
There are three components of memory:
1) Encoding
2) Storage
3) Retrieval
Encoding
• Sensory register: We meet someone, hear something,
see something, etc.
• It lasts a fraction of a second
• For encoding to work properly, we need to pay attention
and have an interest
• Most of what we experience at this stage gets filtered out
What Are We Likely To Remember?
At the sensory register (encoding), we tend to remember
information that is:
• Meaningful−your best friend’s birthday, the weather on
your wedding day
• Unusual−a person wearing a winter coat in the summer
Storage
Short term memory:
• Has the capacity for seven items, +/- two items
• Lasts approximately 30 seconds
Can be extended by:
• Chunking, which is grouping information
• Repetition, which is repeating information
We transfer information to long term memory by:
• Organizing, associating and making connections
• Using a variety of sensory modes (reading text,
watching tutorials, testing yourself, listening to audio)
Storage (Cont’d)
Long term memory:
• Takes place in many different areas of the brain
• Has infinite capacity
• Information “sticks”
• Strengthened by review of information (formation of
new neural pathways)
The brain can form new neural pathways and rewire itself
(neuroplasticity) allowing for new memories to be stored
in multiple ways
Retrieval
• Accessing stored information
• The stronger and more numerous the neural
connections, the easier it is to remember
information
Why Do We Forget?
• Information is not meaningful or has no context
• The value for remembering information has become
less important due to technology
• Information was not clear
• Information was not consolidated, which is the
neurological term involving strengthening of neural
pathways through:
a) review
b) taking breaks
c) sleep
• Interference−competing memories or other distractions
How Can We Remember?
Our brain prefers information that is organized, visual and spatial.
We can improve our memory skills by:
• Creating loci, which are memory “palaces”−specific and fixed positions
Watch a memory champion explain how to use this method:
[Link]
• Intending to remember
Maintain focus and motivation and use active reading strategies
• Sustaining Interest
Improve motivation by obtaining background information
How Can We Remember? (Cont’d)
• Using mnemonics (tools that help us retain information)
a) Chunking (123-456-789)
b) Acronyms (SCUBA−Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
c) Acrostics-Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
(Order of Operations−Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)
• Associating
a) Connecting information to something you already know
b) Learn information from general to specific so you can make connections
• Reciting and repeating−to strengthen neural pathways and connections
• Visualizing−TV commercials use this strategy to make information memorable to viewers
• Exercising−can increase cognitive ability by 20%
• Learning something new−creates new neural pathways
a) Brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand
b) Taking a different route home
c) Learning a new instrument, language or recipe
Practice What You Have Learned
Now how many words can you remember in 30 seconds?
Ball
Tree
Yellow
Table
Cemetery
Hydrogen
Plastic
Picture
Daisy
Laptop
Bank
Lake
Pineapple
Luggage
If You Would Like To Learn More About
Improving Your Memory Skills
Visit the Office of Academic Support
Furst Hall 412
646-592-4285
[Link]@[Link]
Sources
Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the
frontiers of brain science. New York: Viking.
Foer, J. (2011). Moonwalking with Einstein: The art and science of remembering
everything. New York: Penguin Press.
“How to Memorize Fast and Easily//Mind Palace: Build a Memory Palace,” YouTube
video (6:26). (n.d.). Posted by Ron White.
Hopper, C. H. (2004). Practicing college learning strategies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Learning is memory that persists. (n.d.). Retrieved from
[Link]
skills/sites/students_academic_skills.prod/files/students_academic_skills/wysiwyg/retain_information.pdf
Nine ways to aid your memory. (n.d.). Retrieved from [Link]
skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/improving-memory-retention
VanderStoep, S. W. & Pintrich, P. R. (2003). Learning to learn: The skill and will of
college success. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
