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Memory is such a complicated process that no universally accepted theory exists to explain how it works. Scientists don't even agree on where individual memories are stored. However, they do agree on some general information about memory. The brain's cerebral cortex receives nerve messages from eyes, ears, and touch sensors. This sensory stimulus is held for a fraction of a second in the sensory memory. Unless an individual pays attention to the image for about eight uninterrupted seconds to encode the stimulus into short-term memory, it will be lost. The slightest interference at this stage can displace newly acquired information from our consciousness. Short-term memory (STM) is the brain's system for remembering information "in use." But as indicated above, STM doesn't reliably hold on to information. It also has limited storage capacity--seven items, plus or minus two. If STM tries to acquire more items than it can handle, the middle items will often be displaced. Storage seems to increase if we pronounce the names of the items out loud--especially if they are grouped rhythmically. Grouping items into threes or fours also seems to aid recall. Chunking also expands STM. A "chunk" is a unit of information that corresponds to some familiar pattern. Try reading this sequence and then recall it: i g d b f d n o n u c a. Next, try the same exercise on these letters: c o u n f b a d d i n g. Chunking it into a word you can pronounce made the difference. Try the same process with this list of numbers: 2 8 3 4 9 6 Next, try remembering this: 28 34 96 Instead of six numbers, you only need to recall three. To understand its function in the brain, think of STM as a circular tape loop. Once a complete loop is made, three things can happen: (1) the information can be "rehearsed" (repeated) silently or aloud, which will provide auditory cues; (2) the information goes into long-term memory; or (3) the information will be lost. Certain foods, aerobic exercise, and stress reduction can improve STM. On the other hand, marijuana users experience subtle STM deficits that continue for at least six weeks after their last usage. Stress or accidental trauma to the head can also affect STM. The trick to improving memory is to plant information in STM and then transfer it into LTM. Many books, classes, and tapes offer suggestions for training STM. If you could just remember where you left that flyer...
