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Facts About Memory
Don't Forget! by Danielle C. Lapp

When we say,” I cannot remember names, places I have been, things I have to do, “We should ask ourselves whether we really tried to remember those things. Chances are that we did not really need to remember them or did not make the necessary effort to do so. We unconsciously select the important things to keep in storage and discard the rest. Most of the time we are on “automatic”, and we do not do anything consciously to ensure that we are leaving a memory trace. Amazingly, most of the time it works without one’s conscious cooperation. Memory problems arise when useful information is not retained or recalled, causing difficulties in everyday life.

You can learn how to be selective and more efficient in concentrating precisely on what is important for a particular task. You can become more open to observation and use associations together details.

You will gain control over your memory as you learn how to ensure a proper recording in your mind of what you want to remember. In order to facilitate recall, you will use everything you have at your disposal; your senses, your intellect (organizational skills), and your imagination. In doing so you will improve your attention, which is often at fault.

Only when something does not work to our satisfaction do we look into its mechanism. Memory is not an innate mysterious wonder machine functioning independently of our will or control. If it were, most people would despair, since exceptional memories are extremely rare. Memory is a mechanism we have to understand in order to make the most of it. As children we were never taught how to memorize or how memory works. Thus we managed by trial and error, with a few individuals doing instinctively better than the rest. The method most commonly taught in schools is repetition. However, there are many other methods which, combined with repetition, will give more effective results for memorizing many kinds of things, be they names or appointments or other useful information.

At the root, there is a need or interest. No one forgets to eat or go to work. The rewards are obvious and surpass the inconveniences. Need or interest brings about the motivation to pay attention and concentrate on what it is one wants to remember. Concentration is sustained attention, and without it there can be no sure recording of memories. How efficiently one can concentrate plays a big role. Equally important is what the mind does in this ideal state of concentration. Organization is the ultimate requirement for a good memory.

The pattern of memory will be best remembered as a chain made of these essential links:

 Forgetting occurs when this chain is broken. When new things come along that seem important at the moment, they monopolize our attention, and the rest fades into the background. As circumstances in life bring them back again, we remember. Forgetting is part of the mechanism of memory. It is necessary to forget many things momentarily in order to attend to what we are doing. It may be sad to think that we have forgotten most of what we learned at school, but we do remember what we use in our daily lives: reading and counting, for instance. Besides, if you had to go back to school and train for a new career, you would recall many of the basics you have forgotten, and learning would be easier because you would find a frame of reference in your memory bank.

You may not recognize many things you learned by rote and never used. The memory traces may not have been very sharp or may have been erased in the case of information you did not care about.

When we are depressed, we lose interest or motivation, making it difficult or impossible to sustain attention; when we are anxious, our attention is captured by our anxiety and we are unable to attend to anything else. Without concentration, we can’t hope to organize our thoughts for efficient recall.

Your first concern should be to determine which links are weak in your memory chain. Since you’re motivated enough to read this article, your problem is probably either attention or retention. Technically speaking, a retention deficit is the only true memory problem: Although one may be motivated, pay attention, and try to remember, one forgets because the memories were not properly registered and stored for easy recall. The information got in, but it is hard to retrieve. Organization will help anyone with a retention problem. However, most memory complaints stem from attention deficits: Nothing is recorded in the first place, hence there is nothing to recall. Hw can you be sure you have recorded something? You cannot be sure, but you can get a pretty good idea by analyzing the circumstances in which you were trying to record the information. IN order to understand memory failures, you must know how your environment and your emotions influence your ability to leave a quality memory trace. You can expect memory lapses when your emotions take over  and when the situation does not allow you to sustain attention. This the case

·        When rushing

·        When anxious

·        When under stress or pressure

·        When distracted

·        When interrupted

·        When interferences or digressions occur

·        When emotions run high or low (elation or depression)

·        When self absorbed

·        When tired or drowsy (drugs)

·        When your resistance is down (illness)

·        When in familiar surroundings

·        When making automatic gestures

·        When habit prevails

·        When you cannot make sense of the message

To believe that your memory can function in these circumstances is to believe in miracles. Don’t count on it! There is not point blaming yourself or your memory when it is impossible to control you attention or when there is no time to organize and process information. Sometimes a person cannot avoid being anxious, distracted, or rushed. Don’t expect much of yourself unless you can change the circumstances, i.e., unless you can pause, relax, and focus. In some cases this simply cannot be done, for example, when rushing to catch a train.

Whether young, middle aged, or older, there are times we remember and times we forget. We express frustration with words, which we use as weapons to browbeat ourselves. I suggest that you modify your vocabulary in accordance with the situation. Instead of saying frequently, “ I forget, “ try saying, “ I cannot think of it now, “ “ I was not paying attention,” “ I didn’t hear you, “ “ I didn’t listen, “ “ It did not register, “ or “ I didn’t make it a point to remember. “ As you vary your vocabulary, you acknowledge the various situations which may cause forgetfulness. You will abandon guilt feelings and stop blaming your memory at every opportunity. Be happy when you catch yourself remembering something in the nick of time, as is the case when you notice your coat in the car after locking the door. Your reflex of shutting the door was so fast that there was no time to pause and think. Remembering a few seconds later was all you could do under the circumstances. Paradoxically, we often say, “ I forgot” at the very moment we remember. We are so impatient with our memory that we don’t give it a chance. Instead, congratulate yourself, saying, “I am glad I remembered; so what if it took me a few seconds.” Reserve the word “forgot” for episodes with more dramatic consequences.

Recording Information

            Imagine that you want to record a message or a song. First, you want to make sure your equipment is in working condition. Your doctor will be able to detect the fairly rare biological deteriorations that cause serious memory loss. Second, you’ll need to check all sources of interference that are likely to blur your recording and make it hard to decode; that, you want to eliminate all thoughts not connected to what you want to remember. Concentration is the key to memorization. You must focus your attention on what you want to record and spend the focus your attention on what you want to record and spend the necessary time and effort. As you develop a “photographic memory,” this should result in a clear image, or a concrete representation of what you want to store in your memory recorder. To form this image, you will use your sensory perceptions to their fullest. Too often we see but we do not look, feel without being aware of it, hear casually without listening. By paying attention you will ensure that all your channels, sensory and intellectual, are open and active. The making of the image involves both imagination and intellect. By associating image and message, you will make a better recording on your memory track. Thus association is the third key word, forming a mnemonic easy to remember: CIA for concentration, image, association.

Recalling Information

            The clearer the recording, the easier the recall. That is why it is important to spend some time and effort on the CIA process, which ensures proper recording. When you cannot remember something at one time but can do so at another time, it is because some exterior factor has triggered an association, which in turn has brought the memory back to your consciousness. When you see, hear, taste, smell, or touch something and are reminded of something else (a place, a person, or a mood), you have responded to a stimulus. This stimulus-response mechanism prompts recall without voluntary effort, with one impression triggered the next in a domino effect. You can gain control of your recall mechanisms by voluntarily defining the stimulus and reinforcing it with specific techniques. For example, if you often forget your umbrella, try this: You know you are going to see your front door on your way out, right? Think “front door: and visualize it with your umbrella open right in front of it. Send a few seconds on this image association. Whenever you see the door, the umbrella will pop out, reminding you of it. For every image association you will make, you will have to define a stimulus you cannot miss seeing. It will act as a visual prompter. The secret to success lies in spending at least 10 seconds visualizing the two items together in a single image.

            Image forming and association help in the retrieval process, which is the most difficult part of remembering. First, they guarantee a deep recording into long-term memory; second, they act as cues prompting recall. As one ages , the capacity for retrieving information decreases. The following techniques will help you in the process of recording and recalling anything you may want to remember. Studies have shown that usually it is not so much the storage system of memory, which is at fault, but rather the recall system. Free recall is very inefficient, whereas prompted organized recall is quite efficient. Planting cues at the time of recording guarantees efficient recall. Learning how to cue oneself is the true art of memory.

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Copyright © 2002 by [Khurram Niaz Shaikh]. 
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Revised: 02 Oct 2002 17:52:55 +0500 .