How to Improve Your Memory: Transfer Information from Short to Long Term Memory

Our memory has been subject of investigation since ancient Greek times. Indeed, the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, tried to comprehend it in his treatise entitled ‘On the Soul’. Aristotle believed we are all born without knowledge, and that what we become is an accumulation of our experiences. We now know that our early memories are actually ‘colored’ by our later experiences, and that as we change in life, so our memories are changed with us.

The Past Does Not Equal the Future

In his novel ‘[amazon_link id=”0307947726″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Sense of an Ending[/amazon_link]’, Julian Barnes describes most beautifully this phenomenon of the every-changing memory. The book is about a man in his sixties who looks back on his teenage years and contemplates what has happened to him, his girlfriend, and his friend ever since. Through it all, however, he remains aware that his memories are influenced by his journey, and that because of this, they are not an accurate reflection of what has actually happened. They are memories with added perspective.

Different Kinds of Memory

In ancient times people believed that we have two kinds of memory:

1. A ‘natural memory’; which we all use daily.
2. An ‘artificial memory’; which can be improved through the practice of ars memoriae.

Since then there have been many models to show how memory works. All these models are simplified versions of reality.

The Atkinson-Shriffrin Model

A well-known model is the Atkinson-Shriffrin model from 1968, also known as the multi-store or modal model. In this model it is assumed that a memory is formed in a three phase process:

1. It goes through the sensory store.
2. It goes through the short term store.
3. It ends up in our long term story.

Critics of this model would point to the fact that it suggests repetition is needed for transportation from short to long term memory. Practice has shown differently. Subjects of our interest, for example, can be stored without any rehearsal.

The Working Memory Model

In 1974 Baddeley and Hitch put forward a new theory. They considered the short term memory not as one system, like in the Atkinson-Shriffrin model, but as a central executive that regulates two subsystems:

1. The Visio spatial sketchpad.
2. The phonological loop.

This elaborate re-examining of our short term memory was called the working memory. Within it, visual spatial information is processed by the Visio spatial sketchpad and words or sounds are stored by the phonological loop; which constantly repeats (loops) the information. In 2000 Baddeley added the episodic buffer to the working memory model. This can be considered as a connection between the different sub systems of the working memory and long term memory.

The Differences Between Short Term and Long Term Memory

Information is only stored for a short period of time in your short term (working) memory. For no longer than 30 seconds usually. What, or how much is taken in depends on your attention span, but whatever that is, the information is mostly forgotten when new information comes along. On the other hand, your long term memory space can never be filled (it’s infinite), and information can be stored there for the rest of your life.

Conditions for Transfer of Information to Long Term Memory

Attention can be seen as a measure for the scope of your working memory. It’s also one of the essential factors when transporting information from your short term to your long term memory. I believe there are five essential factors in the process.

1. Your Attention. If you’re not focused on the subject you’re studying, it will be impossible to remember all the facts. Therefore, it is important to keep the learning curve in mind when you study. That is: we are more inclined to remember the information discussed at the start and end of a study session.
2. What the Information Means to You. The chance of remembering something increases significantly if the meaning is important or of relevance to you.
3. How Well the Information Matches With What You Already Know. Existing memories are a magnet for related information. This is also why it’s important to re-read the material you study. Every time you go through the material, you will associate more of it with the knowledge you already have.
4. How Unique or Exceptional Information is. Everybody remembers the most popular girl or boy in school, some can remember the least popular, but almost nobody will remember the average students. It’s the same with information. You automatically remember what amazed you or what spoke to your imagination, but the rest of the material takes a little effort.
5. If Information is Connected or Can Be Associated. We remember information that is linked to our senses, is repeated in the text, or is connected by rhyme or rhythm.

Another way how to improve your memory is by playing games. Personally, I’ve found that [amazon_link id=”B000ELV3ZG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Memory [/amazon_link]and Lumosity are an excellent way to keep training and boosting your memory.

Two proven ways to speed up your brain training are:-

1. Learning an Instrument: Research has shown that learning to play a musical instrument will stimulate your brain and can increase your memory.  In one study children from age 3 to 4 and a half years old were given instrumental music lessons while another group of children, the control group, received no lessons at all. Test results showed that the preschoolers who had weekly lessons had improved their spatial-temporal skills by 34 percent more than the other children.
2. Learning a New Language:  Researchers at Lund University compared two groups of people. The first had all learned a language such as Arabic or Russian, and had gone from no knowledge at all to fluency within 13 months. The second group was composed mostly of medical students, who had studied hard but not in foreign languages. Both groups were given MRI scans before and after a three-month period of intensive study.  After this period, Johan Mårtensson, a doctoral student and research psychologist at the university concluded that “While the brain structure of the control group remained unchanged, specific parts of the brain of the language students grew, according to the researchers. The parts that grew were the hippocampus, a deep-lying brain structure that is involved in learning new material and spatial navigation, and three areas in the cerebral cortex. Even if we cannot compare three months of intensive language study with a lifetime of being bilingual, there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape”.

In my opinion, these results and conditions are all based on how we store information and how our mind works while studying. The same applies in our daily lives. All we encounter is first stored in our short term memory and subsequently transferred to our long term memory. I think that understanding this process is the key to understanding and mastering mnemo-technics and mind mapping. So my advice is to you, is to be aware of the conditions above at all times, but especially when you study and apply the principles of mnemotechnics and mind mapping as discussed in my following posts:

• Introduction
• Why Train Your Brain
• Why Use Different Parts of Your Brain
• What are The Fundamentals of Mnemotechniques and Mind Mapping
• What Are the Most Popular Mnemonics
• 7 Tips to Become a Great Mind Mapper
• How to Make a Mind Map
• What to Eat For a Better Memory and Concentration
• How to Study Most Effective
• Tips to Study Better From the Most Inspiring People in the World

For Further Reading About How to Boost Your Memory, I Recommend:

[amazon_link id=”1118275195″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves[/amazon_link]

[amazon_link id=”0060984406″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Your Miracle Brain: Maximize Your Brainpower, Boost Your Memory, Lift Your Mood, Improve Your IQ and Creativity, Prevent and Reverse Mental Aging[/amazon_link]