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Oh! I “forgot” about the Memory Palace!

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In Lesson 12, we learned a little bit about Visual Imagery, but the one thing that caught my eye would be “Loci”. A long time ago, I realized that my memory isn’t so great and if anything, it might be getting worst. I started researching ways to prolong memory, and discovered Loci. However, somewhere along the line I stopped practicing and forgot about it. So what better time to refresh myself with this method than to write about it now! And so, let’s talk about Loci!

Loci originated from Greece and was discovered by the Greek poet and sophos Simonides (Ancient Imagery Mnemonics, 2014). Basically, he was invited to a banquet and once he stepped outside, the roof caved in and crushed everyone that was present. When it came time to identify the bodies, he found that he was able to recognize each person thanks to visual memory. However, he didn’t only identify them by their visual appearance. Since some of them were disfigured, he recognized people based off of where their bodies were found. Gruesome story, right? This apparently is where the method of loci came from. History at its finest.

So, now that we know how it came about, what is the method of Loci? When I first started to research this, it was for memorizing books I read for pleasure. I found that I would read a long book on finance and investing, and yet once I was on the fifth book I barely remembered anything from the first. That’s when I started researching how to memorize books and came across Loci. From one of the random forums I ran into, they talked about the Memory Palace and how to use it. Usually it starts by that individual visualizing a room. From there you walk around and each location you visit receives a number. Using that same number system, you can make a list of whatever it is you want to memorize. Let’s say you wanted to memorize a list of items. One, which was a door is now labeled as Grocery shopping. Now I picture using that item and incorporating it with whatever your ‘task’ was. So I would picture the door, then me walking through it and there’s the grocery store. My example is a bit rusty, but I think you can get the idea!

I basically decided to do this blog on Loci mainly because while I knew I could use Palace Memory and Loci to memorize important sections of my books, I was curious on the other different ways it can be used. So led to me trying to do a bit of research on various ways to incorporate and use Loci. For anyone that’s interest in using Loci, I found that you can use it for a variety of things including studying for exams! I decided to ask my friends for a few ideas on how it could also be used in other occasions and came up with a miniature list. For example, it can also be used for memorizing a foreign language, books (like what I needed it for years ago), memorizing a speech, grocery list, memorizing people and their positions at a new job, and even recalling what makeup brushes are for what uses (for makeup artists), and so forth.

How about you guys? When was the last time you’ve used Loci and what have you used it for? Any other ideas on what Loci can be used for? It’s an interesting method and I have to admit the background story with Simonides was a shocker.

 

Works Cited

Nigel, Thomas J.T. “Ancient Imagery Mnemonics.” Stanford University. Stanford University, 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.

STM, LTM, and Placing Orders

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During Lesson 6 and 7 we discussed Short Term Memory (STM) and Long Term Memory (LTM). Typically, STM is capable of holding about five or nine items in its memory slot. If repeated multiple times, it’s usually stored in our LTM section of the brain. Along with this discussion, we were introduced to a Phonological Similarity test where each individual had to go through memorizing a series of randomly generated letters and try to remember the order in which they were given. STM and LTM play such a large role in our everyday lives. While it wasn’t until I had friends over and offered to buy them Starbucks that I realized my STM is quite shorter than I realized. It also made me recognize, with a simple everyday activity, just how common it is that we utilize both STM and LTM.

So it was a Sunday morning and I had company over. I decided to treat everyone to some coffee at a local Starbucks. Of course, no one wanted to come, but they all wanted coffee so I figured I’d take their orders and drive out on my own. While asking for their order I realized that after the fifth person, the previous orders were already forgotten. I quickly opted for everyone just to text me their orders since the only thing I remembered was my sister’s Grande Soy Mocha (hot) with whipped cream and my Grande Cinnamon Dolche latte with a single shot, hot as well, with whipped cream and no cinnamon on top. That’s when I stopped. I couldn’t remember everyone’s order, not even the simple tall Vanilla Bean Frap, but I surely remembered my complex order or my sister’s order as well.

So let’s talk about STM, short term memory only lasts about 30 seconds or so, and we only remember a few digits at that. The Phonological Test showed us that it’s easier for humans to remember the first and last words/letters in a list, but we easily forget everything in between, unless it’s repeated and then sent to our LTM category. Back to me, standing in my living room with five individuals staring me down all the while calling their orders out; I could only recall the last order I was given. And even with only one order successfully mentally jotted down, I personally knew that by the time I’ve arrived at the location, which was a 20-25 min drive, I would surely forget everything that was requested of me.

So why did I remember my complex order and my sister’s? LTM. Long term memory comes into play when items are repeated. Over the years I change my order up of course, but that’s not to say that my Cinnamon Dolche isn’t a classic favorite. And no matter how many times I get it, it’s always the same in that order I listed earlier (single shot, no cinnamon on top, Grande, whipped cream…yum!). After ordering it many times over the years, it’s no wonder I recalled it so easily compared to the randomized list of coffees my guests were giving me.

And so, in the end, it was interesting to realize how we utilize both types of memory in regular everyday activities. The only time I personally ever really thought about it was when I heard of people suffering from mental disabilities (strokes or accidents where there was brain injury). It never occurred to me how vital these two compartments of our brain are until these last few chapters and then recognizing it with something as simple as placing an order for my guests at a local Starbucks was an interesting experience.

 

Works Cited

Goldstein, E. B. (2015,2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience (4th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Cirque Du Soleil: Integrating Perspective

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  I remember the first time I went to a Cirque du Soleil show down in New York. I’ve seen acrobatic shows before, but nothing quite like it. Instead, Cirque du Soleil combined elements from traditional circus with elements drawn from sophisticated theater (Blue ocean strategy, 2004). After taking our seats, the Cirque du Soleil group managed to captivate us from start to finish. We were seated for Zarkana and the animation lit up the stage pulling you into the action. The acrobats did amazing stunts that were specifically formulated so it would look breath-taking no matter where the audience were seated in the room. The animated screen on the back made everything pop outwards toward the audience and made their stunts even more defined. This leads to my discussion on Chapter 3’s topic of Perception and how it correlated and was used by Cirque du Solei during Zarkana.

Perception is how we view objects in front of us. There are objects all around us and based on where we stand or the angle in which we observe it, it changes the perspective. Our brain processes this by using two pathways, the perception and action pathway. Perceptions first step is to identify (Goldstein, 2011) the action or object in front, followed by action. This process is something that is taken into consideration by performers or artists alike. Artists that wish to sketch an object that consists of any sort of volume or dimensions have to formulate and understand how to place it on a flat piece of paper. Acrobatics is also a form of art, and of course physics are also taken into consideration when formulating stunts. For acrobatics this is done by measuring human sensitivity to distortions in angular momentum and take-off angle (Flipping with physics: motion editing for acrobatics, 2007) when formulating different acrobatic maneuvers.

So how does a show like Cirque du Soleil correlate their performance and the audience’s perception during a show? It’s as simple as moving since movement also helps us perceive objects in the environment more accurately (Goldstein, 2011). The performance is visually enhanced perspective-wise just by having the acrobats hovering above you in midair. but then Cirque du Soleil takes it to another level and adds animation to pull you into the action as well. Visual perception has always been used in various forms of art and acrobatic shows prove to be no different. They understand how to keep an audience engaged with music and different stunts that play with perspectives. For example, during Zarkana there’s a trapeze performance where the background is blue with different hues. This almost sucks you in, but then the acrobats come out with this light green outfit which just pops out toward the audience contrasting with the background. Finally, to play with perspectives and make you feel like they’re really close to you, some acrobats are closer to audience while others are more to the back of the stage. This makes you feel that they’re going to flip outward towards you.

And so, even an acrobatic show like Cirque du Soleil takes into consideration perspectives and uses it to their advantage. By using animation, music, and acrobatic maneuvers that entices their audience, they manage to create a visually stimulating choreography which is even more successful due to its play on perspectives. By understanding these physics they’re able to entice people into the act and expand it towards the audience as well.

 

Works Cited

Goldstein, E. B. (2015,2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience (4th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

 

Majkowska, A., & Faloutsos, P. (2007, August). Flipping with physics: motion editing for acrobatics. In Proceedings of the 2007 ACM SIGGRAPH/Eurographics symposium on Computer animation (pp. 35-44). Eurographics Association.

Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2004). Blue ocean strategy. If you read nothing else on strategy, read thesebest-selling articles., 71.