Studying and Memory

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

One of my teachers gave a lecture about how your memory works and how that affects your studying. She is not a science teacher, so no, this was not to understand memory, just for studying. She made the following claims:

 

• Your short term memory can only hold 5-9 discreet items.
  
• Your long term memory is infinite.
  
• If you study one night for 60 minutes, that's worse than studying for 10 minutes once a day for six days.
  
• You must want to remember something for it to go into your long term memory so you will know it, otherwise it will not.
  
• Out of 10 things learned you will forget six in the next 1-2 days, unless you study.
  

I don't really believe this. Saying that the short term memory can only hold so many items is like saying the RAM on your computer can only hold 10 applications at once. It depends on the size of the items to be remembered.

And how can long term memory be infinite? Just because nobody has had their brain "fill up" doesn't mean it can't. You don't have infinite neurons.

About the studying things: I NEVER STUDY. I get straight A's. So then if I only will remember 4 out of 10 things, how can I get 95% on a test? Because supposedly it won't go into my long term memory without me "willing" it to. I don't have to "will" myself to remember my teacher's name.

 

What do you think about these?

[5614]

i have problems studying too, and i still get very good grades.

 

a little often is meant to be the best form of study.

that statistic sounds rubbish to me, though maybe me and you are exceptions, or maybe thats for older people.

if you just read something you may forget it, whereas reading with the intention to remember would increase the chance of you remembering it, that doesnt mean that reading something will mean that you dont remember it, its just a increase in probability.

 

those are some of my thoughts, not a lot is know about the brain, it is very complex and beyond our total understanding, how much of that is theory im not sure.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

No, I NEVER study. I don't have problems with it, I just don't. The last time I got less than an 80 on a test was in 1st grade.

[BrainMan]

Your short term memory can only hold 5-9 discreet items.

 

Sort of true. But it depends upon what we are trying to remember. The more confusable the stimuli (like line lengths from 1 to 3 inches) the fewer items we can remember, and less confusable stimuli (like faces) can actually extend the number to quite large amounts. Also, groups of items can be joined together into meaningful units (chunks) that can extend what we are capable of keeping in memory.

 

Your long term memory is infinite.

 

I don't know what this means. Memory is notoriously unacurate. To call long term memory "infinite" is misleading at best.

 

If you study one night for 60 minutes, that's worse than studying for 10 minutes once a day for six days.

 

It is better for long term retention, but not necessarily better for number of items remembered on some particular test right after the six days.

 

You must want to remember something for it to go into your long term memory so you will know it, otherwise it will not.

 

Not quite true. But I think what your teacher was getting at was that when you give more meaning and attention and thought to something you will remember it better. Just glancing at words on a page will not help you remember the content very well. [Wanting to remember something will make it more meaningful, and thus it will be more memorable...]

 

Out of 10 things learned you will forget six in the next 1-2 days, unless you study.

 

The attempted application of statistical trends in experimental situations to real settings. I wouldn't call this false, but I would take the numbers here with a grain of salt...

[badchad]

I agree with the short term memory statement, I've heard it before. You are correct though in that what constitues a "discreet" item is a matter of semantics and opinion. Obviously remember 5-6 random numbers is different then remembering 5-6 pages of a book. Try two digit numbers. Right down 10 of them then see how many you can recall.

 

As far as "will" is concerned, I think you have to more clearly deinfe that too. You remember your teachers name because it has some significance. You're more apt to remember things that are "important" or things that interest you rather then random things. In this sense, you do kind of have to "will" yourself to remember.

 

Your grades are interesting. I think theres a difference between grasping the concept of something rather than memorizing it. You may do well in school because you can remeber the basic stuff. For instance, I remember core elements from my freshman chemistry class but certainly nothing intricate. While I may have aced that class it's likely I would do poorly on a simple exam right now. Try learning some very advanced theories/ideas/concepts from a very advanced level class that you have no experience in and the 4 out of 10 thing may hold true.

 

Not so sure about the mind "filling" up. Seems there would have to be some type of limit.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I've heard it before

"I heard..." carries no weight here whatsoever.

As far as "will" is concerned' date=' I think you have to more clearly deinfe that too. You remember your teachers name because it has some significance. You're more apt to remember things that are "important" or things that interest you rather then random things. In this sense, you do kind of have to "will" yourself to remember.[/quote'] Funny, I always remember the worthless things.

 

Your grades are interesting. I think theres a difference between grasping the concept of something rather than memorizing it. You may do well in school because you can remeber the basic stuff. For instance, I remember core elements from my freshman chemistry class but certainly nothing intricate. While I may have aced that class it's likely I would do poorly on a simple exam right now. Try learning some very advanced theories/ideas/concepts from a very advanced level class that you have no experience in and the 4 out of 10 thing may hold true.

No, not true. In every test I got more than 80, except in 1st grade. I remember all of the gory details. Everyone asks me for help.

[badchad]

"I've heard" that humans store about 7 items for short term memory

 

Miller, G. (1956): "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two", The Psychological Review, vol. 63 pp. 81-97 [1]

 

Good enough for you?

 

I'm not familiar with your educational level, but if you keep going you'll eventually take an exam where 80% will not be attainable.

[MishMish]

I expect for short term memory she's referring to working memory. I supposedly have exceptional working memory, though didn't think to ask how many digits and was just based on repeating back strings of numbers and letters in forward, reverse and mixed order, not a significant skill of itself but I can see without it would be a problem.

 

I do not think "wanting" to remember something significant. From experience having a framework to insert something into seems more critical, why I like that cognitive hook Glider keeps referring to (though have still not found much on.) And while I don't think "wanting" to remember significant, both attention and some sort of emotional involvement seem to be.

 

For the moment am going on the idea that I did not have to study through most of school and so nothing forced me to much attend to it (and am kind of unobservant as well,) that best I can tell I have a somewhat compartmentalized filing system making discerning overarching frameworks more difficult and also why my recall is so context dependent, and in many situations have little emotional involvement as cause for my poor memory, though could just be rationalizing and still haven't got it figured out in the least

 

Despite that, did well in most of school and I expect everyone just assumed I was "learning" on account of that

 

Same as my exceptional working memory and just being intelligent by basic measures to start with may help me compensate for some of the other cognitive/emotional lacks you may have exceptional strengths that disguise how your memory/learning is operating and, as Badchad mentions you might hit a limit where they are put to the test

[BrainMan]

One way to increase memory abilities is to make up little stories or songs or poems related to the subject. Consider:

 

Rap song inspired by "Thinking and deciding"

I woke up and had a revelation

Correlation does not imply causation.

The situation is quite terrible

When you've got a confounding variable.

Another reason to think carefully:

Does B cause A or does A cause B?

 

 

Popper said "I wonder why?

Einstein's theory lived but Freud's has died.

It seems to me the difference is

That Einstein's could be falsified."

 

 

Suppose one day I say to you,

"Hey listen up: 'If p, then q!'"

And then I tell you: "p is true."

Could you be sure that q's true too?

And what if I'd said: "q is true."

Could you conclude that p's true too?"

 

[Not you again!]

That's right! It's me!

Is it "not q" if it's "not p?"

[Please go away!]

One more to do!

Is it "not p" if it's "not q?"

 

Peter Wason is the name

Of a man who liked card games.

But unlike me and unlike you

He played with four, not fifty-two.

 

Letters on the front

Numbers on the back.

"A" and "B" and "2" and "3"

Are all that you can see.

 

A rule has been proposed.

You don't know if it's true.

"A card that has a vowel

Has an even number too."

 

Which cards must you inspect

To verify the rule?

[Why not check them all?]

No, that would not be cool!

 

You've got to check the A

(Don't bother with the B)

The 2 can't give you trouble

But watch out for the 3!

 

Doc Wason's back

He's got more tricks

Here's a game

Called 2-4-6.

 

Your job is to name sets of three

To test different hypotheses.

[3-6-9?]

Yes!

[1-2-3?]

Well that works too.

[i'm smart as you!]

 

[6-8-10?]

Way to go, my friend!

[3-2-1?]

No! Please try again.

 

[10-12-14?]

That's peachy keen!

[2-3-4?]

Oy, how many more?

 

[1-2-10?]

Yes! We're near the end!

[5-6-8?]

Right! You're doing great!

 

I'm ready, now. I can guess your rule.

I'm the one that you cannot fool.

The rule you use for sets of three:

Increasing numerosity!

 

Deborah Frisch (Penn PhD)

 

From: http://www.psych.upenn.edu/humor.html

 

 

Ok, I admit it, this post had little to do with memory. It was just an excuse to post something I thought was neat. Bite me!

 

 

Edit: Fixed the link

[coquina]

# Your short term memory can only hold 5-9 discreet items.

1. Your long term memory is infinite.

2. If you study one night for 60 minutes, that's worse than studying for 10 minutes once a day for six days.

3. You must want to remember something for it to go into your long term memory so you will know it, otherwise it will not.

4. Out of 10 things learned you will forget six in the next 1-2 days, unless you study.

 

1. How can that be true? Time is infinite, but you are not.

2. Not true either - you can't even get in "study mode" in ten minutes.

3. I think that is true. The trick for me to remember something is to write it. I can read it 50 times and not remember it, but if I write it in my own words, I will. I have to want to remember it to make the effort to write it down.

4. False - if you forget them in one to two days, you didn't learn them to begin with.