Memory Development

Introduction

Very few would disagree that a powerfully developed memory is an asset to any human being. While we talk, read and hear so much about memory sadly only a few have taken the trouble to systematically develop the memory retention and recall. Regrettably students continue running from one class to another without any understanding about their learning styles or study techniques, resulting in poor grades and discouraged youth who worry about a bleak future.

Students who are preparing for academic or professional exams would readily benefit by remembering more with ease. They will also have a greater focus on what they are doing. Those who follow and practice memory techniques will then achieve  better grades with lesser effort. Blank memories would be a thing of the past. Such initial training continues to develop latent faculties as years go by.

Those in Leadership and Executive positions would thereafter effortlessly remember facts, figures and a host of other day- to – day activities. Those who prepare speeches and dread the thought of forgetting the contents right before a vigilant audience can now look forward to an effective delivery with increased confidence.

It is estimated that  an average adult uses only 10 % of his full brain capacity. The older people tend to under utilize the frontal parts of their brains, which deteriorate with age. Techniques such as, making associations and creative visualization have proved very beneficial in such instances.

The good news is that with a little focus and effort, and systematic training, even an average person can  develop a super memory. These tried and tested techniques  are available in Sri Lanka under the personal coaching of Prof. Lakshman Madurasinghe PhD, Consultant Psychologist,  who has taught and used these techniques for over 18 years, and who introduced this programme to Sri Lanka six years ago. He uses over 12 popular  memory tools including Rooms Rooms, Journey method, Pegs and other Neuro Linguistic & Cognitive methods, visualisation etc to enrich your memory and unleash the untapped potential. In addition , students will receive Exam Secrets and study methods which will cover the following:

• Study environment
• Mind Mapping
• Speed reading basics
• Sensory tracking
• Learning style identification
• Goals
• Study tips
• What to avoid
• On the day of the exam what to do

 

The number of items that can be remembered is far greater than the total number of brain cells. It has been estimated that after 70 years of activity, the brain may contain as many as 15 trillion separate bits of information. Thus your memory is a treasure house whose size and strength are almost beyond human comprehension. It is a pity that so many of us store up so much less learning and experience than is possible.  This may be due to the fact that we have not paid much attention to such areas of learning and the traditional education  focuses on accumulation of knowledge without a holistic model of individual development.

How the brain stores its memories is still not fully known. Some scientists believe that each item of memory is contained in a loop of cells connected by tiny tendrils with an electrical current going around and around the loop, which might be hundreds or thousands of cells in length. Other theories suggest that the memory is somehow impressed, or "etched" on the cell, or exists on a chain of cells like knots in a string. We do know that for the first 30 to 60 minutes after being received, any sensory impression is "floating around," so to speak, in the brain, not yet firmly registered. This may be why, after a sharp blow on the head, people often permanently forget what happened to them during the previous 15 or 20 minutes.                                                                    

The belief that there are several memory stores comes from the fact that memory may reach back for years but may also concern events that occurred just moments ago. We usually think of memory in terms of a past that is reckoned in hours, days, or years. But a moment's reflection tells us that memory comes into play as soon as the stimulus has disappeared from the scene. An example is a telephone number we look up and retain just long enough to complete the dialling; here the interval between acquisition and retrieval is a matter of mere seconds, but it is a memory all the same.

These simple facts provide the starting points for the stage theory of memory. One of its assertions is that there are several memory systems. Of these, the most important are short-term memory, which holds information for fairly short intervals, and long-term memory, in which materials are stored for much longer periods, sometimes as long as a lifetime. The second, and even more important assertion of the theory is that information enters these two systems in successive stages, to get to the long-term system, information must first pass through the short – term store .

Major Benefits

 First and foremost, memory training can enhance problem solving skills of brain. These skills are known as fluid intelligence.

Another benefit of following memory techniques is that these have great capacity to enhance brain power. In fact, these techniques push the brain to process all that it remembers.

In case, you have learned the name of a person, just imagine how that individual will be important to you in the near future and where would you see him or think about him.

Another important and beneficial memory training would be to tell yourself the reason on why you want to remember a particular thing and the way you will remember it. The process of remembering a particular thing will work towards stimulating the brain in order to hold the name and extra associations in the brain.

Memory techniques can make you solve many problems in a jiffy. All you require to do is to keep exercising with these memory techniques and give your brain power a boost.

Simple, systematic memory training can help some people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). This finding points to a possible psychological intervention early in the course of this devastating brain disease. It also lends some urgency to early diagnosis, when patients who still have the ability to learn can use it to sharpen their memories and reduce disability.

 

Best known techniques in the world today

Repetition

Link method

Story telling

Connection

Rhyme technique

First letter association

Snap shot

Movie

Journey

Roman room

Alpha method/ numerical phonetic

Concept maps

 

Memory fallacies

            1. Mystery formula

            2. Easy street

            3. Memory cure

            4. Memory super hero

            5. Old geezer

 Medical conditions that affect memory

           1. Cancer 2. Diabetes

            3. HBP  4. Parkinson's

            5. Thyroid imbalances

            6. B12 deficiency

 Nutrition

•          Cut back on fat

•          Avoid too much sugar

•          Limit Sodium intake - 300mg daily

•          Eat a Variety of foods

•          Calcium / Serotonin

•          Selinium- Gotu-kola

•          Gingko- Biloba

•          Vinpocetine

•          Cut down starch and white sugar

Recommended Books

Tony Buzan
Use your perfect memory The Master memory work book Douglas Mason

Memory- Herbie Brennan

The memory book- Harry Lorayne

Your memory- how it works- Kenneth Higbee

The memory work shop- Cynthia Green