Effects of abnormal Working Memory

[Kygron]

I just got some preliminary results of some simple tests I went through. The one thing that surprized me is that I apparently have a Working Memory much smaller than normal. Now that I think about it there may be MANY things I consider normal that may not be so.

 

I thought it would be interesting to have a general discussion about Working Memory. How it helps, how to take advantage of/overcome problems with it, experiences that might or might not be effects of it, etc.

 

I'll write soon with more specific (possible) problems I've had.

[Phi for All]

Does this mostly affect your short-term memorization, like remembering someone's phone number without writing it down, or do you have problems allocating cognitive resources while doing several things simultaneously?

I'll write soon with more specific (possible) problems I've had.

Don't forget!

[Kygron]

I'm having trouble comming up with ways to describe this. I'm in my mid-20's and have always considered my memory to be excellent (and I still do, but now I'll distinguish types ), so I already have habits and techniques to overcome this in natural situations, that I developed unconsiously.

 

The main test that picked up on this was something like this:

1=f, 2=s, 3=u, 4=g, 5=r, 6=w, 7=d, 8=p, 9=v, 0=e

decode(purposly random): 7247624895715731650715619328760139

 

I was not given enough time to think about it really, so I just started doing it and ended up memorizing ONLY ONE (emphesis added to remind myself that it's not normal). Supposably most people would have memorized 5-6 and done the job in half the time it took me.

 

Another thing that's interesting now that I'm thinking about it is something that happened in an early conversation as part of testing:

 

"I'm going to ask you to remember three things and you repeate them to me again in 5 minutes, ok?"

"ok"

"Red truck, yellow pencil, blue book"

"Red .... uhhhhhhh, what was that again?"

"Red truck, yellow pencil, blue book"

"Red truck, yellow pencil, blue book"

"right"

-5 minutes later-

"and do you remember those three things?

"Red truck, yellow or orange pencil, blue book"

"right"

 

Strange, I forgot them intantly! and then once I'd had a few seconds to put them into memory, I can even now remember that part of the conversation weeks later!

 

Does this mostly affect your short-term memorization, like remembering someone's phone number without writing it down, or do you have problems allocating cognitive resources while doing several things simultaneously?

 

My habit is to write down "trivia" whenever possible. Otherwise, I'll repeat it to myself a few times to force it into longer-term memory. I can't think of any trouble doing several things at once, prob'ly because in those situations most tasks have already become habitual, like, walking and chewing gum

 

Wait, I did recently have to put down a book I was reading because a familiar song was playing on the radio and I couldn't sing to it while reading, is that what you meant??

[coquina]

I'm terrible at this kind of test, but my mom was great.

 

When she was 95, she broke her hip and the social workers were trying to decide whether to try to fix it or just send her to a convalescent center to be wheelchair bound the rest of her life.

 

To test mom, they brought a tray with 30 items on it - then removed it and asked mom how many she could remember.

 

The social worker was absolutely astounded that she remembered all 30 items, and where they were placed on the try. I don't think she had ever seen anyone, regardless of age, who could remember that well.

 

Me - I'd be hard-pressed to remember that there was a tray!

[Luminous]

If you think about it, the color test istnt really that hard. Red,yellow,and blue pretty easy to memorize since they are the basic colors. Pretty much all pencils are yellow, and then memorizing a Red truck and a blue book isnt that difficult =()

[Icheb]

I'm terrible at this kind of test' date=' but my mom was great.

 

When she was 95, she broke her hip and the social workers were trying to decide whether to try to fix it or just send her to a convalescent center to be wheelchair bound the rest of her life.

 

To test mom, they brought a tray with 30 items on it - then removed it and asked mom how many she could remember.

 

The social worker was absolutely astounded that she remembered all 30 items, and where they were placed on the try. I don't think she had ever seen anyone, regardless of age, who could remember that well.

 

Me - I'd be hard-pressed to remember that there was a tray![/quote']

So they measured her value as a human being on the amount of things she could remember?

[Kygron]

If you think about it, the color test istnt really that hard. Red,yellow,and blue pretty easy to memorize since they are the basic colors. Pretty much all pencils are yellow, and then memorizing a Red truck and a blue book isnt that difficult =()

 

Firstly, this is not the kind of thing you get to think about. You either already have developed those techniques and use them, or you use whatever other methods you usually use. The results measure your natural tendencies, not whether you are capable of being "right".

 

Second... You're absolutely right! It wasn't a hard test, it was to make sure there wasn't something major wrong, and I passed it easily. What I was trying to point out was that within 3 seconds of hearing something (and then going through the mental proccess of repeating it) I had forgotten it.

 

I'm trying to describe the difference between "working" memory and short-/long-term memory. I've heard claims that noone can ever "forget" something they've remembered, it just may be difficult to recall. I happen to know that there are some things I'll NEVER remember, because they never made it into my short term memory.

[CurvKyle]

I have the exact same problems kygron..been wondering about it for a while now.

[Kygron]

I have the exact same problems kygron..been wondering about it for a while now.

 

and how did you discover it? how are you dealing with it?

[CurvKyle]

and how did you discover it? how are you dealing with it?

 

It's something I just discovered through everyday life, didn't take any formal tests. As far as dealing with it...nothing really solves the problem, nothing that I have discovered that is. I suppose keeping my condition in mind when it comes to having to remember something helps a bit.

 

One specific time I noticed the problem was in an anatomy class. I was in a small group and instructed to quickly memorize the name and location of certain muscles on the animal we were dissecting. Seems easy enough, and for everyone in the group it was, but it took me much longer and I still could not recall a few of them.