Memory: Discover the Missing Component of Recall

Memory is everything; without our memory we have nothing. We must have an ability to recall information in order to learn and develop. Today brain research has uncovered fascinating discoveries relating to memory, yet we have only just begun to understand this mystery of the mind.

Most researchers focus on the brain and how the different parts are related to memory. This understanding is very important if we are ever going to truly understand ourselves. I find neuroscience to be a fascinating subject that has helped shape my understanding of the human condition however I don't want to look at the brain in regards to memory.

I instead want to focus on the mind and how it utilizes information in regards to our memory. I want to share my theory on how the two different minds (conscious and subconscious) work together to provide us with the ability of recall.

Most people know about short and long-term memory; and how these two systems work together to give us the ability of recall. I believe there is a third type of memory that I call temporary memory that helps fill in the gap between short and long-term memory. I want to go over each of the three types, show you how they work, and explain how the two minds are related.

Before we can remember something we must first take in the information to be stored. Our DNA does contain some information but for this topic I will be focused on information we have obtained from outside sources; meaning our five senses.

Everything we experience in life is the result of information coming in through our five senses. Without these senses we would have no experience of the world or have any information to be processed into memory. This incoming information is first sent to the subconscious mind.

The reason the subconscious gets the information first is because it's the survival mind and is much faster at processing information. We need it this way to allow us to react to events that involve an immediate threat to us such as being attacked or touching a hot stove.

After the subconscious mind determines if any action is needed or not; it sends a small amount of the information to the conscious mind were it becomes what we call our conscious awareness. We are only aware of a small part of what is going on around us. This is why two people can have the same experience yet have two different views of what happened.

The thing to keep in mind is just because the information is not consciously known doesn't mean it's lost. This information is still sitting there inside your head just waiting to be used. At the same time this information is not yet a part of your long-term memory. All this incoming information is stored in what I call temporary memory and is controlled by the subconscious mind.

If information is stored in temporary memory; how do we get it to become long-term memory? My theory is the subconscious mind processes this information and converts it to long-term memory when we sleep, specifically REM sleep. To me this is one of the reasons we have dreams. Dreams are nothing more than us becoming consciously aware of temporary memory being converted to long-term memory.

One way the subconscious processes information to be converted to long-term memory is by using emotional "tags". This means if an event has caused us to feel a strong emotion it gets linked to that emotion. When this information is converted to long-term memory it is arranged in such a way as to be easy to recall. In other words the more emotion involved the more the memory will be put at the "front of the line" and information with no emotions will be move to the back. This makes it easier to recall emotional events which are important when it comes to survival. This is why the subconscious is in control of this system.

Just because the conscious mind does not have direct control over this information, it can access it through a process of requesting information from the subconscious. When the conscious mind requests information the subconscious first looks in this temporary memory because it is smaller, easier to process, and most likely to be more relevant. If it can't find it in temporary memory then it will expand the search to long-term memory which can take longer to find because of the massive size of long-term memory.

That's why you can be trying to think of something and then forget about it, but later the answer will just pop into your head for no reason. Your subconscious continues to search without any conscious awareness of what is going on.

The subconscious also uses the information in temporary memory to influence our decisions and actions. This influence is the basis of subliminal programing and can be very powerful if used correctly. Subliminal programing doesn't turn people into walking zombies but can have a real effect on a person's conscious thought process.

As you can see the subconscious mind is very involved with our memory by working with both temporary and long-term memory. The concept of using temporary memory to hold information before being converted to long-term memory is a wonderful system that allows us to utilize information as its being taken in. The problem is temporary memory is a fixed size and this causes problems.

Have you noticed how you get mentally tired if you don't get proper sleep? A lack of sleep causes the temporary memory to become full which can lead to issues with being able to recall the information we want. Sleep is so important in maintaining a strong memory.

Lack of sleep is not the only thing that can cause issues with temporary memory; there is also what environment we find ourselves in.

I skipped over one of the steps in how information is processed because I felt it was too early in the flow of this article. When the subconscious first receives information it looks for any copies of that information in our long-term memory. If it finds an exact copy it will simply reinforce the long-term memory instead of sending it to temporary memory.

This is why we have better recall of something if we can look at the information from different angels or give the information more details. These things cause more copies of the information to be put into temporary memory that will then be converted to long-term memory. If all we do is look at something one way we only reinforce a single long-term memory; and memory is all about the number of links we create. So how is our environment involved in memory?

When you are in an environment you are familiar with you take in more "copy" information because you already have knowledge about what is around you; which causes less information to be stored in your temporary memory. When you are in an unfamiliar environment your temporary memory will fill more rapidly causing you to become mentally fatigued. This is why you feel mentally tired when on vacation or when trying to learn something new.

The final piece of this memory puzzle is of course short-term memory. The conscious mind uses short-term memory to process information it receives. Because of the highly analytically nature of the conscious mind it can only keep track of a very small amount of information. Short-term memory is the only form of memory that is controlled by the conscious mind.

If all of this seems confusing or overwhelming let me offer you a metaphor on how all this works that will make it easier to understand.

Your mind is like an office. Information comes in and first goes to the inbox (temporary memory). From there some of the paper work gets move from the inbox to the desk top (short-term memory).

With any desk top there is very limited space so you must work on just a couple of things at a time. You can move papers back and forth from the desk top to the inbox but can only work with a few things at a time.

Just as with temporary memory an inbox can only hold so much before it becomes a disorganized mess. To keep the inbox from getting too full papers are moved to a filing cabinet (long-term memory). From time to time we do move papers from the filing cabinet to the desk top as we need them (consciously becoming aware of something from long-term memory). However it can be hard and time-consuming in finding just what we are looking for.

I hope this metaphor helps with understanding how the three parts of memory work together to give us this amazing ability of recall. Memory is still a mystery yet we are moving in the right direction.

Jeremy T. Jordan is a dynamic Speaker and Personal Life Coach that specializes in the areas of Success, Happiness, and Fulfillment. 

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How to Learn Any Subject?

Learning is such a critical aspect of one's life. In essence life is a major school. At every stage of life, from birth to adulthood, learning takes place in various modalities. There is a difference though between structured or formal learning and what I call "fun learning" or passive learning. For example, the type of learning that takes place when one is reading an enjoyable text or watching a favorite movie or documentary. This is not to mitigate the value of this type of learning but to call attention to the phenomenon that usually the learning extracted is not preplanned or based on specific outcomes. Consequently, the learning opportunity may be more expendable. The keys to learning effectively are purpose, self-awareness, and organization. The precursors to this triad include the skills and background knowledge necessary to create the path for effective learning.

For our purpose here, we'll be discussing structured learning as it the most reliable and standardized. By the time a child enters kindergarten, he has already been exposed to some structured learning environment albeit without his conscious knowledge. He/she may already be using the word "school" nonchalantly. Kindergarten may even be more structured and may be categorized as "real" learning, perhaps because this is the place for the foundation of literacy skills. Most people tend to have fond memories about their experiences as a kindergartener. Thus, it qualifies the purpose aspect of effective learning. This may be a residue of the type of learning inherent in wanting to walk as a child, feed oneself, figuring out how to reach the high shelf, or tie one's shoe laces.

Purpose is synonymous with motivation in this context. The greater one's desires or goals towards achieving a certain outcome are, the greater the purpose. Purpose is the reason one is engaged in studying something in particular. Identifying the purpose may be easier if the endeavor is self-induced or voluntary. In the case of an involuntary situation, it is even more important to identify a purpose. It is effective pedagogical practice to guide young learners in a conversation about the objectives for learning about a particular topic and connect those to their previous knowledge.

First things first, knowing the purpose for doing anything is essential. This must be deliberate and intentional. We always have choices even when it seems like we don't. They may be difficult choices with pleasant or unpleasant consequences. When a learner finds himself with a prescribed course which he feels is "useless", "irrelevant " or "boring", he has the option of not taking the course or create an objective or purpose that is personally authentic and relevant to himself at the onset of the course. For example:" I don't like French. I am not good at foreign languages, but I like history." So a possible question to ask to formulate your purpose is: What is the role of France, its people and the language in the history of _____? You fill in the blank. Another point of focus could be the French language of today vs. yesterday.

Authenticity and interests are quintessential here. The learner has to take responsibility to define his own purpose for studying something based on his interests, academic and or social strengths, or just a pure desire or goal to do well. The point here is that the learner has to establish a reason for studying something, which could be as specific or as generic as he wants it. However, it must resonate with a core aspect of personality or value or both.

This brings us to the next requirement- self-awareness. The learner can use these questions as a guide: Who are you as a personality? What matters to you? What do you value? How did you learn what you learned before? What techniques did you use? Knowing "thyself" is one of the best given advices. This is a lifetime quest but we start by paying attention to ourselves and reflecting consistently. Tools such as multiple intelligence, IQ, and emotional intelligence tests can provide some insights and directions. Take responsibility for your own learning. Some environments and teaching methodologies are more optimized for learning. However, the greatest responsibility still lies with you. After the learner has satisfactorily answered the questions he has to apply the findings. For example, an extrovert needs to ask questions and engage in discussions and find alternate, lively tools to engage with the materials if the instructor doesn't provide them. An introvert may need to take copious notes and engage in discussions in small groups. This brings us to the third component of effective learning- organization.

It is the "how to" aspect of learning. There is basic organization which involves common sensible tasks such as being prepared with tools for learning, consistency of attendance, and active participation through deep listening and wholesome presence. If you are in class, just be in class. There is also a deeper level of organization required to reach the summit of Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. Effective learning is about understanding, applying, and creating with your new found knowledge. This is lowest to highest. Your knowledge of self-awareness applies in developing a personal learning plan. Only the learner can answer the questions of how he learns best. The basic premise of learning of how to complete a task eventually turns to forming automatic habits.

Mastering a skill though takes deliberate focus and intention. The rapper and producer, Maurice Young states: "To become a master at any skill, it takes the total effort of your heart, mind, and soul working together in tandem. Thus, collaboration and synergism are important. Aligning your purpose for learning plus your knowledge of self-awareness equals your method of organizing your learning plan. The learner may need a more aggressive plan for the subject in which he feels weak. A visual, auditory and a tactile learner may need different plans that are customized and personalized. This is not so much about learning in general. It is how effectively we are learning for the long-term.

As learners, we have developed habits and practices of studying that may be more or less effective, appropriate or inappropriate for certain tasks. Sometimes, they become so deeply ingrained that they have become automatic. However, how effective are they? How do they fare with your short and long term goals for studying the subject or course? Short-term goals correspond more with listening, note-taking, time management, being well versed in the requirements of the course, knowing your instructor's style of teaching and expectations. Short-term goals also have short-term gratifications. Long-term goals however are more futuristic and valuable as the actualized learning and skills acquired are beneficial to society. This is where marrying your mind as in your purpose for studying, your heart as in your core values and or your personality and your soul as in having a vision of sharing this knowledge with others can have the greatest impact on your education.

The purpose of learning is to become educated. Education is for us and others. It is a tool for the betterment of us as a society. Effective learning is learning for today and tomorrow. Companies and organizations are best led by people with diverse talents and skills such as collaboration, technical, analytical, organizational, and critical thinking. These skills can be developed with a deliberate plan to aim at the highest levels of intelligence of Bloom's taxonomy. In a nutshell, cultivating a sense of observance of self and others, having a vision and an action plan are the keys for an effective learning recipe. Two major ingredients that are required are motivation and commitment. This materializes by defining a personal authentic goal, raison d'être for studying and prioritizing goals, then breaking them down into specific tasks for maximizing time in and outside of class.

Effective learning is holistic learning. Education is like a mirror one holds up to himself and others. The better we become as learners, the more we grow and evolve. This way we are better equipped to serve our society. Learning is living. Live well and learn well! 

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Learning Skills 101 - What Are Learning Skills?

So what are learning skills anyway? Most of us were never taught about these underlying mental skills that lay the foundation for our ability to learn. We were always taught that we could learn if we set our mind to it. Between home and school we should be fine. If not, just see a tutor for a bit and you will be good to go. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to learn in this type of scenario. Why? Well, how easily and efficiently we learn is based on how strong our underlying learning skills are. This definitely turned out to be the case for my daughter and all of the students who have worked through my system.

The skills we use to learn with are technically known as working memory, attention, processing, auditory analysis (including auditory processing), visual processing, word attack and logic and reasoning. We see these skills play out everyday based on how well we can pay attention, how well we can remember, how well we can process what we hear (we hear fine - its the processing of the sounds), how well we can process what we see (letter reversals, etc.), how well we can read unknown words (beyond the words we may have memorized) and how well we can plan, organize and problem solve. For each of these learning skills there are sub-categories that exist too.

Lets explore an example of a student who has weak attention skills. In this example, we have a student is able to attend to one thing at a time only. However, the student will state that they get distracted very easily. After I work them through a series of exercises I can tell whether or not this is truly the case. 9 times out of 10 it is not the case. You see, students like this one tend to hyperfocus on their targeted input. They zone in on the teacher and everything else around them disappears. So, when an additional task is being introduced that requires processing, they are conflicted because they can only attend to one thing at a time and state they get distracted. In actuality, their "divided attention" skill is very weak along with their ability to process more than one thing at a time.

A student with the above weakness will show easy distraction but will also have great difficulty with remembering information coming from different inputs at the same time, especially is one is auditory. This student is able to take notes and process the input in the brain. However, if the teacher begins "discussing" the topic of the notes on the board, the student is lost. Similarly, if the teacher started to talk first, the student would be able to process this input but once the teachers asks the student to start writing notes along with the teacher speaking, the student would be unsuccessful. They are unable to share processing within the brain.

The good news is that the above weak skill is just one of many that you are able to strengthen due to the brain's ability to develop and grow. A student doesn't need to struggle with this weak skill set any longer. The Enhanced Learning Skills System was designed to strengthen learning skills required to learn and read easier and more efficiently. Call me today for an assessment and let's begin working together to help your child learn with ease.

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