I struggle with my memory. It has been a key factor for me in many areas of my life. I am singer and when I am on stage there are many things to remember, the first would be the song lyrics. There are many things happening simultaneously while performing and if your nerves get the best of you, as they do me, the lyrics will disappear quickly and what kind of performer forgets their lyrics? It has also plagued me in my capacity for learning. I have always struggled with tests my whole life. I have an amazing brain and I know that I have strong processing skills and yet when it comes to test time, I freeze up, I cannot recall anything that I spent hours and hours trying to absorb. Chapters five and six on short term and long-term memory really hit home for me. I understand the process of sensory memory to short term memory to long-term memory back to short term memory, and still the experience eludes me.
In the process of doing research for this blog, I stumbled on a Ted Talk titled feats of memory anyone can do by Joshua Foer. In this 20-minute video he explains how people for centuries have been using these very fine tuned techniques to expand their capacity for memorizing almost anything. He calls it the memory palace. He begins his talk with asking the audience to close theirs eyes as he describes the most ludicrous images to everyone. These images include cookie monster, a talking tan horse, Brittney spears singing along with Dorothy and the tin man all in your living room. These images provoke certain memories that help anchor the bits of information that you are working to retain he explains.
He went on to explain that once upon a time people invested in their memory and their minds. We have become a society that now outsources our memories with technology, smart phones, and computers. It seems we have forgotten how to remember. In researching how people who were memory champions seemed to be able to retain so much information in very short periods of time, these researchers concluded that the part of the brain that uses spatial memory and navigation was being used and stimulated. They titled it elaborative encoding and the trick is to associate something that is very familiar to something you are trying to remember that may be mundane. They call it the Baker/Baker paradox. The name baker may mean nothing to you and has no real meaning that would make it unique to all of the other information that is swirling round in your cognition, but if you tell someone the man is a baker, you begin to associate things that go along with a baker; good food, a large white hat, little anchors that will help navigate your Nero pathways in order to recall the memory.
This is an art form that some people have mastered and they have found a system of taking words and content that have no meaning to them at all and associating meaning to the content in order to stimulate cognition. I am very interested in this technique and it seems that a good memory is also a sign of intelligence. So what I have come away with is that great memories are learned. They create a mindfulness that is present and that draws meaning into what is being observed and remembered. This is great news for me, because there may be hope for my memory yet.
Reference:
Filmed Feb 2012 • TEDTalk2012
http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do
Active Learning/Anxiety Diversion
I enjoyed reading your reference to your frustration when “nerves get the best of you” and “the lyrics disappear quickly (http://sites.psu.edu/psych256).” My daughter is an opera performer. She also experienced these same phenomena early on in her education. You would be surprised at how many stage performers suffer from performance anxiety.
According to an article by Daisy T. Lu at the Seattle Pacific University, “active learning enables memory networks to be altered by neural activities building higher levels of meaning in the process.” She believes that “fears and doubts also influence what is stored in memory. Negative feelings can interfere with recall by diverting one’s attention from previously prepared memory tasks. Anxiety, which alters the focus of attention, can result in the concentration on the “self” rather than the “task.” Thus, the attention focus in memory tasks cannot be overemphasized. A memory “slip” on the part of a performer, musician or lecturer, may not be the result of faulty memory storage, but a misdirection of attention.” Dr. Lu suggests that “although a great portion of a performance is automatic, signals from the limbic system where anxiety operates can disrupt the flow of automatic response patterns programmed by hard work and diligent practice.”
While we were able to catch this early in my daughter’s career, we were not completely able to dispose of the anxiety of performance. Nor should we want to. Anxiety can cause negative reactions such as a lack of focus and memory lapse while trying to perform, however, Dr. Lu reminds us that anxiety can also become a powerfully positive tool when “a risk is perceived,” such as performing, “the body circulates adrenalin to activate the sympathetic nervous system, bringing into effect bodily responses useful for survival in a primitive environment. Increased sympathetic responses in anxious situations can increase metal alertness.” We found that a normal amount of anxiety helped my daughter perform at her best, however if she began to doubt herself or her ability she began to exhibit higher levels of anxiety and her performance suffered.
When you have “increased sympathetic responses in anxious situations” you will have an “increase in mental alertness. However, these responses may also encourage racing images and thoughts not experienced in regular practice. Often, the performer will have doubts never before experienced in practice. The resulting over-consciousness can create havoc in performance (https://faculty.washington.edu).” She overcame this by simply preparing for her performance as she usually did, ask herself if she had covered all of the areas needed for the performance, visualize herself performing on stage, and reminding herself that she is fallible and a mistake, while not desirable, was permissible. For her, it was a matter of being aware of her body and how it responded and controlling thoughts.
My daughter still experiences anxiety before performing, but, anxiety no longer interferes with her work. It is perhaps, through many years of music education and performances, one of the biggest challenges she overcame on her path to success. And, it is sincerely one accomplishment that she is most proud. Like you, it baffled her and made her question her abilities until she received the information about the design of her brain and how to conquer the effects of anxiety, or shall I say, allow the natural way in which our mind works to enhance the talent that is not really gone or forgotten, but merely receiving signals of diversion for perceived survival.
References
Lopez, V. (n.d.). Psych 256: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Psych 256 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://sites.psu.edu/psych256sp14/2014/03/23/the-bakerbaker-paradox/
Lu, D. (n.d.). Neuroscience for Kids – Music Education. Neuroscience for Kids – Music Education. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/dl3.htm
Venus, I really enjoyed reading your blog post about the Baker/Baker Paradox, and the memory palace. Reading your summary and thoughts about the memory palace inspired me to watch the Ted Talk by Joshua Foer—this a video that all university students should watch. I would like to apply his methods to maximize my memory and learning capability.
A subject you touched on, our technology dependence, has dramatically affected out memory. Technology is almost making our memory less and less important because we know have easier and quicker access to information. When was the last time you memorized someone’s phone number? For me, this was about 2004, when I was in 7th grade and didn’t have a cell phone yet. I now find myself dependent on my cell phone, aka phonebook, for phone numbers. When was the last time you memorized someone’s phone number? Probably yesterday.
I few months ago I read a great article in the Huffington Post titled, “How Technology Is Warping Your Memory.” This article touches on our dependency on technology, and how technology is impairing the functioning of our short-term memory or working memory. According to new research, we are more likely to forget information when we know we have technology to remember it for us (Gregoire, 2013). The Internet is the new “external hard drive” for our brain. We need to become more aware of what technology is doing to our memory, and try to cut back on our dependence and use of it.
References
Gregoire, C. (2013, December 11). How Technology Is Warping Your Memory. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/technology-changes-memory_n_4414778.html
This technique of associating words with other words is so familiar to me! My husband uses this trick incessantly to help me study. He pairs the most inane stories with words in order for me to remember them. The funny thing is, it almost always works. That being said, there are also times when I cross the words up or remember a story for a different definition. This doesn’t happen often, but still, it has happened. While it looks wonderful for my grade, it has very little actual learning value. I never remember the importance of the material but I just remember that certain words go with other words and BAM! I know the answer. Again, great for my grade but not so much for my knowledge of the material.
This also leads me to a memory of a professor I had in Georgia. Most thought of him as a total hippie because his teaching style was unorthodox but he was one of the best teachers I have ever had. He taught all of his lessons in what were almost storied so that when it came test time I rarely had to study. All I had to do was think (as he called it) of a conversation we had about a mental disorder and I could tell you almost everything associated with that disorder. This approach was extremely helpful for both my conceptual learning and my memory as things were easier to recall when I associated them with one of his stories. However, I did sometimes get stories mixed up, especially ones that were close in relation to symptoms of illness. I would swear that the story had been about a certain disorder only to get my test back and see that I was wrong.
The discrepancies in this learning mechanism I believe can be associated with false memory. When things are similar enough than I can confuse them into thinking that they were what they actually were not. I remember learning the things I learned, but I recalled them incorrectly because I did not store them as semantic memories that I recalled often, strengthening them but rather as more likely to go with the context and give room for error.
I remember watching that Ted Talk and thinking how brilliant and seemingly simple a concept it is. I read Joshua Foer’s book, “Moonwalking With Einstein”, and immediately tried putting the technique to use. I’ve even used it in this course to try and help with memorizing the specific parts of the brain. Although it can be a good tool for memorization, ultimately I want to learn and understand in this class, so I try to use methods for higher levels of learning when possible.
One aspect of the talk that I do think applies to this class is the part you touched on in regards to how our brains have changed due to their use. The “outsourcing” of memories and thinking is a serious concern as we get further and further into the digital age. It immediately brought to mind an article I had read from The Atlantic by Nicholas Carr titled, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” It touches on some of the same ideas of how easy access to information is actually reprogramming our brains. It’s a fascinating read for anyone interested or concerned with the effect that the Internet has on our malleable mind and what it might mean for the future.
As for your issues on stage and during test time, I think a different cause is to blame. If you had trouble remembering lyrics or information at other times, encoding or storage would be to blame. Since you seem to be having trouble remembering information during times of stress, I think retrieval is where your problem lies. I don’t necessarily have a solution – since different techniques work for each person – but the key is often to find some kind of peace in those tense situations so that nothing stands in the way of the retrieval process.
Good luck, or rather, break a leg!
Source:
Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 July 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.