Do you forget peoples names as soon as you are introduced to
them? Did you ever go to the store only to forget what you went
there to buy? These are actually common occurrences that happen
to people every day and there are methods you can use to help
improve your memory in these areas.
When you are introduced to someone, this event is stored in
immediate memory only long enough for the event to happen.
Immediate memories are held in various modality-specific regions
of the brain - immediate visual memory is most likely held in
the visual parts of the brain, and immediate auditory memory in
the auditory parts of the brain.
Now if you were paying attention to the introduction the
relationships between what you see, what you hear and your
awareness is brought together into working memory which resides
in the prefrontal lobe of the brain. When the event goes from
your immediate memory into your working memory some of the
details are lost. For example, you might not remember what was
going on in the background or what color shoes the person was
wearing. This distracting information is dumped on purpose and
is critical for efficient storage.
If you paid attention during the introduction, the relationship
between sight, sound, and awareness is brought together into
working memory, somewhere in the prefrontal lobe of the brain.
When the event moves from immediate memory to working memory,
certain features will be lost. You probably won't remember
background conversations from the party, and you may not
remember the color of the Mr. Byrd's shoes. The loss of
distracting information is an important feature of human memory,
and is critical for efficient storage and recollection of
experiences.
At this point, you can use reinforcement to try to help yourself
remember the persons name. Rehearsing the event by saying the
name yourself or by relating the name to something else (like
the same name as your sister or your aunt etc) cause the memory
to move from working memory into your long-term memory. This is
called consolidation and during this process more distracting
information is lost.
Now several days later you might not remember the color of the
persons shirt but you should remember his name, what he looks
like and who introduced you. If you were distracted during the
introduction you might not remember the name. It is important to
repeat the persons name and try to make some sort of association
or mnemonic so that this information makes it through the
consolidation process.
You can use a similar method of relationships and reinforcement
to remember what you wanted to pick up at the grocery store.
Lets say you need to get toothpaste, deodorant and bananas.
Instead of just trying to memorize these 3 items, picture
yourself getting ready for work. You brush your teeth, put on
deodorant and eat a banana on the way out. Play this back in
your head like a little mini film. Then when you are in the
grocery store, replay the film!
About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for
Better Self where you can
learn more about self help and self improvement. Visit
www.better-self.com for more on
how to
improve your memory.