Brain Rules #6 – Long-Term Memory

In a previous post, I summarized the first Brain Rule. In this post, we’ll focus on the sixth – LONG TERM MEMORY – or you must remember to repeat.

We covered many important aspects of memory in the last post about SHORT TERM MEMORY.  The most significant of which is the importance of repetition.  The only real way to convert a memory from short-term to long-term is by repeating the information and strengthening that memory with additional, related information.  But why?

Your body of knowledge is cumulative.  In other words, each new thing that you learn has links to and builds upon related things that you have learned in the past.  This phenomenon is really evident in math when you don’t really understand one problem solving technique and each subsequent lesson using that technique is completely foreign to you.  Because the brain builds upon what it already knows (a process known as encoding), missing a critical fact can make it very difficult (if not impossible) to comprehend and remember other things dependent on that fact.

Interestingly, information is best remembered when it is “encoded” with as many existing facts as possible.  The author uses a simple example of the word PIE.  If you only remember the sequence of letters – “P”, “I”, “E”, then your comprehension of the word will be minimal.  If you additionally remember a delicious chocolate cream pie that Gran made for Papa on his birthday, then your ability to remember the word PIE goes up considerably.  Sure, the memory is now complicated by the inclusion of Gran, Papa and chocolate cream, but those associations will help you comprehend, retain and recall the information more easily.  The more abstract the lesson, the more important these associations become and why repetition is so critical.

Each time information is processed, new associations and therefor a deeper understanding of the material is achieved. In the spirit of repetition, here is the process of studying recommended to maximize understanding, retention and recall:

• Read the materials before the lecture to initiate the learning process
• Attend the class lecture (advancing repeated materials to a deeper stage of memory)
• Review class notes, re-listen to the class lecture and re-read the materials immediately following the class (further advances the information learned into longer-term memory)
• Review the information again on regular basis (weekly) until it is committed to memory

Brain Rules #5 – Short Term Memory

In a previous post, I summarized the first Brain Rule. In this post, we’ll focus on the fifth – SHORT TERM MEMORY – or you must repeat to remember.

Bell Labs, the engineers and scientists working for the phone company, figured out that we can only hold 7 things in our short-term memory for about 30 seconds.  That is why they invented the 7-digit phone number.  Remember how the brain is wired (see Brain Rule #3)?  Each experience, when processed, is divided up into pieces and stored in different physical areas of the brain.  Short-term memory can hold those disparate pieces together for about 30 seconds, but unless repeated, their connection goes away.

The brain has different categories of memory and it takes work to advance a memory from one category to the next.  This is critical in school when you need to remember something for a test.  See this.  One of the recommendations that the author (a professor) makes in the book is to study in the following way:

• Read the materials before the lecture to initiate the learning process
• Attend the class lecture (advancing repeated materials to a deeper stage of memory)
• Review class notes, re-listen to the class lecture and re-read the materials immediately following the class (further advances the information learned into longer-term memory)

The author says that if you only attend class and then cram the reading material and class notes just before the test that there is no way for your brain to process and retain all of the necessary information that you’ve learned.  It is critical that you repeat the information immediately after learning it and a couple more times prior to the exam in order to actually retain it.  This exercise takes time and effort, but he guarantees that your ability to retain and recall information will go up dramatically and grades will absolutely improve.

What happens when you repeat information?  First, it is like chiseling the information in to your brain.  It is literally making physical connections to the information making it easier to recall each time you repeat.  But repeating is not enough. In order to really retain information, you must make other neural connections to the information by associating it with other things that you know.  It has been proven that the more connections that you can make to a piece of information, the easier it will be to recall and the longer it will be retained.

Think about it.  You may have forgotten someone’s phone number, but you at least remember that it started with 740.  Why would you remember that?  Because maybe your own phone number starts with 740 and you have a strong association with that prefix.  The rest of the numbers simply vanished.  If you had a similar association with the other 4 numbers – say 1708 – you would be able to remember them as well because you would have associated them to your home address.  Associating information solidifies them into your longer term memory and repeating the information helps you discover and process those associations.  Very few people can learn and build strong associations at the same time which is why repetition is so critical to memory.

Brain Rules #4 – Attention

In a previous post, I summarized the first Brain Rule. In this post, we’ll focus on the forth – ATTENTION – or we don’t pay attention to boring things (like this post, for example .

The most important take-away for me in this chapter is the realization that we are physically incapable of multi-tasking when it comes to paying attention.  I guess that’s why driving while talking on the phone is so dangerous (see this).  A recent Harvard University study concluded that cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year.

We have the ability to concentrate and be attentive for only 10 minutes at a time.  The author is a professor and has used this brain rule to design his lectures.  You can do the same anytime you find yourself speaking in public.  Basically, he teaches a class for 50 minutes which he breaks down into 5 key sections.  Each section begins with an interesting anecdote or story to grab your attention and engage you in the discussion.  The remaining 8-9 minutes are spent backing up that story with facts and other relevant information.  If he doesn’t provide an interesting lead-in to the next section, then he won’t regain the student’s attention and the next 10 minutes will be a waste.  I wish all presenters/teachers/professors knew this brain rule.

We are much less efficient when we multi-task.  If you are trying to read, for example, and you have IM or e-mail up on your computer – each time a new message comes in you get distracted.  Your brain has to back out of the subject you are reading, switch to IM/e-mail and re-build a context for the message you just received.  While our brains are very fast, there is a huge cost to our ability to learn and remember.  Ryan discovered that he can concentrate much better with ear plugs.  It’s all because he is less distracted and can avoid context-switching with the fewer things he hears.  If you’re studying, go to a quiet place, close your laptop, and focus on a single task (see this and this and this).

Body for Life

Mom found this book years ago and has been using it as the guide to her workouts ever since.  I also read the book and loved the simplicity of the workouts and liked how the self-goverened intensity level works well regardless of your body type or level of fitness.  The author, Bill Phillips, has had so much success with his original book that he now has a whole series as well as a line of food supplements.

I went to his website yesterday to get the exercise guide and really liked a couple of features:

• Weight training videos
• Weight training animations

Both help to ensure that you are doing each exercise correctly and that you won’t injure yourself.  Treat your body well.  It’s the only one you have.

Brain Rules #3 – Wiring

In a previous post, I summarized the first Brain Rule. In this post, we’ll focus on the third – WIRING – or how our brain evolved to survive.

It’s no secret that every person is unique.  Even identical twins are unique – at least in their brains.  What you do and learn in life physically changes what your brain looks like – it literally rewires it.  In fact, regions of the brain develop at different rates in different people. The brains of school children are just as unevenly developed as their bodies.

I used to think that each memory (in its entirety) was stored in a different portion of the brain.  What I discovered in this chapter, however, is that all sensory input is divided up and stored all over the brain.  No single memory lives together.  See this video.  This means that in order to recall a memory, we have to piece back all of these individual inputs together in the same way.  No wonder we have so much trouble remembering specific details when we’re brought to the witness stand.  It is only through repetition that we are able to recall things more accurately.  In fact, the book suggests that the longer we wait from the time we originally learned something to recall it again, the more likely we are to mis-remember.  In school, you should consider reading the material before the lecture, listen to the lecture and then review your notes from the class immediately following.  It is through this repetition that you’ll literally re-wire your brain to make recall of the information easier and with more accuracy.

Brain Rules #2 – Survival

In a previous post, I summarized the first Brain Rule. In this post, we’ll focus on the second – SURVIVAL – or how our brain evolved to survive.

It’s no secret that the human brain is the most advanced of all Earth’s creatures, but why? It all has to do with the way in which we evolved. Our brain is designed to solve problems related to surviving in an unstable outdoor environment and to do so in nearly constant motion. The fact that we walk upright gives us a distinct advantage because we are more efficient in gathering food and in expending energy. The energy that would otherwise be spent moving on all fours is instead spent in our brain. But because we weren’t the strongest creature, we had to learn to survive by solving problems, learning from our mistakes, and creating alliances with other people helps us survive. In fact, our ability to effectively “read” people, gain others trust and collaborate on issues is a uniquely human trait. Another unique trait is a concept called dual representation. Humans are able to associate characteristics of one thing to something else that they cannot see. See this video, and this one. The book talks about a baby whose toy is visible and then covered by a sheet. At first, the baby thinks that the toy is no longer there when it is covered. But after seeing the toy “reappear” when the sheet is removed a few times, it is able to understand that the toy is still there even when it cannot be seen. The ability to “picture” something in your mind that cannot be physically seen is what enables us to plan ahead, think conceptually and problem solve – all critically important to survival, especially in harsher climates.

This final video clip is from a television special in the 80′s. The narrator, Carl Sagan, is a popular scientist and author. The beginning of the video talks about how our brain physically evolved in different stages and how each layer is responsible for increasing levels of cognitive complexity. Cool stuff!

Brain Rules #1 – Exercise

This summer I read (or listened to) a wonderful book entitled Brain Rules by John Medina a developmental molecular biologist (what ever that is). I was interested in the book because I hoped it might unlock some secrets about how we process information that might be helpful in my career. I loved it! Not only did it help me understand how I can better present complicated information, but it gave me insights into other aspects of the brain that I can apply to everyday life. The book covers the following 12 brain rules and I will summarize them all in various posts over time.

1. EXERCISE : Exercise boosts brain power.
2. SURVIVAL : The human brain evolved, too.
3. WIRING : Every brain is wired differently.
4. ATTENTION : We don’t pay attention to boring things.
5. SHORT-TERM MEMORY : Repeat to remember.
6. LONG-TERM MEMORY : Remember to repeat.
7. SLEEP : Sleep well, think well.
8. STRESS : Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.
9. SENSORY INTEGRATION : Stimulate more of the senses.
10. VISION : Vision trumps all other senses.
11. GENDER : Male and female brains are different.
12. EXPLORATION : We are powerful and natural explorers.

In this post, we’re going to cover EXERCISE. Why is exercise so important to brain function? First, because our brain evolved in an environment of constant motion. Human beings were constantly on the move to find food, mates and to avoid becoming something else’s food. As a result, we are most alert and have better cognition when exercising. Second, because exercise helps increase our ability to get the needed oxygen and nutrients to our brain required for processing. Exercise literally increases the number of blood vessels and the volume of blood they can carry. Watch this video, then the one below and then go out and get some exercise!