Leave a memory of yourself. He left a bright memory of himself in the hearts of thousands of people. When remembering, a person uses various techniques

Individual differences in memory properties

There are large individual differences in people's memory. This is revealed in the different speed of memorization, in the strength of retention, in the ease of reproduction.

Individual differences in memory may be due to congenital characteristics of higher nervous activity and upbringing and training. Individual characteristics of perception determine different types of memory (figurative). There are gender differences in memory: girls have school age(due to their faster general development- they need much less repetition of material to memorize) their memorization ability is better than that of boys.

More significant differences in memory among different people concern the level of its organization. The appropriation and retention of new information is an active process of incorporating this information into the system of a person’s existing knowledge.

Memory is a functional system that integrates sequentially perceived information into a holistic image of objective reality. This image, in turn, has a significant impact on subsequent information processing processes. Memorization is woven into the processes of man’s active exploration of the world. It leads to the construction and, as experience accumulates, to the restructuring of internal cognitive structures in which the world is displayed and thanks to which mental (cognitive) operations are made possible.

Cognitive structures, in which information about a particular area of reality is subjectively presented, make it possible to semantically consolidate newly acquired knowledge, connecting it with semantic relationships with what is already known, and thereby contribute to long-term memorization. In addition, new information is assessed by the individual from the point of view of the possibility of its use, the content in it that is useful, valuable, and necessary for solving certain problems. And since individual value ideas and subjective cognitive structures different people are not the same, then their memory turns out to be different.

Thus, differences in the volume and strength of memory are not reduced to some hypothetical ability to store information. Their reasons lie in individual characteristics of information processing, in strategies for appropriating, structuring, organizing and updating the learned material, because Thanks to these processes, knowledge is mastered, its categorical ordering, the establishment of semantic relationships between them, as well as their meaningful reproduction if necessary.

This idea is confirmed by numerous studies. For example, in the JI study. Irlits compared the memorization characteristics of well-performing and lagging seventh-graders. Irlitz found that in terms of the ability to directly mechanically imprint material, the differences between both groups were insignificant. However, the more intellectual operations are involved in the process of knowledge acquisition (symbolic coding, understanding and use of semantic, logical connections, categorical ordering), the more significantly high-performing students surpass their less-performing peers in terms of information retention.

In an experiment by M. Birvish, subjects memorized sequences of words united by semantic and syntactic connections of different types. It turned out that normal, meaningful sentences are remembered better than grammatically perfect but meaningless sentences. However, the latter were remembered better than anagrams, which, although they contained words in grammatically consistent forms, but the order of the words was random. Lists of words that had neither semantic nor syntactic connections were learned worst of all. Obviously, consolidation of word chains in memory occurred best when familiar syntactic patterns and semantic relationships were triggered.

Thus, the characteristics of cognitive structures are an important condition that determines the effectiveness of memorization. This experiment also demonstrates how deeply language is included in the processes of processing and assimilation of knowledge. Many schoolchildren have difficulty learning by heart, which they call “cramming” or “drilling,” and try their best to avoid it. But usually these difficulties are associated with the use of ineffective memorization strategies (multiple repetition of the text until the first correct reproduction). Distributing learning over time and “overlearning” (continuing assignment operations after the first error-free reproduction) dramatically improves the result. Memorization when learning by heart also improves if the student is able to combine visual-figurative and verbal-conceptual operations with each other. In this case, double encoding of information occurs, which helps to retain it in memory.

In general, we can say that dividing people into those who have “good” and those who have “bad” memory is permissible only if we keep in mind the results of memorization: one remembers quickly, accurately and with little effort, while how another does it with difficulty and reproduces what he remembers with large gaps. However, these kinds of differences cannot be considered confirmation of the existence of different memory abilities. These differences indicate, first of all, information processing strategies specific to each person. These strategies (focus on certain areas, semantic structuring of what is perceived, its categorical ordering and method of inclusion in existing knowledge, methods of appropriation and memorization) are the decisive factor in achieving certain results and serve as a source of individual differences. This applies not only to memorization, but also to the ability to quickly and adequately retrieve the necessary material from memory. A well-differentiated cognitive structure into which new knowledge is meaningfully embedded increases the operational accessibility of the information it contains. That is, the way information is appropriated determines its future availability.

Types of memory, their dependence on the characteristics of upbringing.

Memory in people reveals a number of more or less pronounced typological features. For an individualized account of the peculiarities of the processes of preservation and reproduction of a particular person, it is therefore not enough to state that he generally has a good or bad memory. It is essential to know its specific qualities and features.

The first differentiation of memory types relates to how the sensory area provides the best basis for retrieval. Some people remember visual data better, others – auditory data, and others – motor data. One person, in order to remember, must read the text himself, and in his memory a predominantly visual image is restored; for another, the same predominant role is played by auditory perceptions and ideas; the third has motor skills: the text is best consolidated for him through writing. Pure types are rare, and mixed types are usually observed: visual-motor, motor-auditory and visual-auditory types of memory. For most people, the dominant type is the visual type of memorizing objects and the verbal-motor type when memorizing verbal material. There are, however, people with a pronounced visual type of memorization of verbal material, which sometimes approaches the “eidetic” type of memory.

During a psychology test, one student once gave an answer that exactly coincided with the text of the textbook. To the examiner’s unexpected, swiftly, point-blank question: “On which page?” There was a completely automatic response from the student: “Page 237, at the top, on the right side.” Answering, she seemed to see the page of an open book in front of her.

Memory is also differentiated by the nature of the best remembered material. A good memory for colors can be combined with a poor memory for numbers, and vice versa. Memory for visual-figurative and abstract content, for mathematical formulas and for emotional experiences can be different. All features of perception and thinking, sensory and emotional spheres appear within memory.

There are known cases of exceptional special memory in any one specific area. Special attention I was attracted by the absolutely phenomenal memory of human counters Inodi, Diamandi, Arnoux and others. Inaudy could repeat 42 digits after a single reading and, after a three-hour session, could repeat all the digits of numbers up to 300 that appeared in the problems he was given. At the same time, Inodi had a pronounced auditory type of memory. “I hear numbers,” he said about himself, “my ear catches them; I hear how they sound near my ear the way I pronounced them, and this inner hearing remains with me for a significant part of the day. Vision does not help me, I I don't see numbers. I would even say that I find it very difficult to remember numbers when they show me written numbers. I prefer to have them communicated to me through words. I feel confused in the first case. I don't like writing numbers either. Writing does not help memorization "I prefer to hear them." Diamandi, also distinguished by a phenomenal memory, had a visual type of memory: he saw numbers written in the form of squares, as if internally reading them from the photograph on which they were written, and, moreover, in his own hand. The exceptional power of memorization was associated with the deep incorporation of memorized material into one’s own activities.

A very striking and psychologically interesting case phenomenal memory The remarkable counter S. Shereshevsky was described by A.N. Leontiev.110

In cases of exceptional memory, usually powerful sensory basis memory is connected in one way or another with logical components (especially in Inaudy and Arnoux). Inaudi performed arithmetic operations on numbers with great speed because he used abbreviated number methods and he did not have to, for example, when multiplying multi-digit numbers, remember each of the products separately.

Further, people's memory differs: 1) in the speed of memorization; 2) by its strength or duration; 3) by the quantity or volume of what is remembered and 4) by accuracy. For each of these qualities, one person's memory may differ from another's.

Finally, it is necessary to distinguish between a more direct, sometimes approaching eidetic, type of memory (as, for example, in S. Freud) and a more indirect one, based on good organization of mental work skills. The first one is brighter for the most part, the second one is stronger. The first is predominantly figurative, the second is verbal.

Speaking about the types of memory, it is necessary to keep in mind that the features of the memorization processes (speed, strength, etc.) depend on who remembers what, on the specific attitude of a given person to what is to be remembered

Memory impairment.

Memory disorder is a decrease or loss of the ability to remember, retain, recognize and reproduce information. In various diseases, individual components of memory, such as memorization, retention, and reproduction, may suffer.

The most common disorders are hypomnesia, amnesia and paramnesia. The first is a decrease, the second is memory loss, the third is memory errors. In addition, there is hypermnesia - increased ability to remember.

Hypomnesia - weakening of memory. It can be congenital, and in some cases it accompanies various anomalies of mental development. Occurs in asthenic conditions that arise from overwork as a result of serious illnesses. With recovery, memory is restored. In old age, with severe cerebral atherosclerosis and dystrophic disorders in the brain parenchyma, the memorization and preservation of current material sharply deteriorates. On the contrary, events from the distant past are preserved in memory.

Amnesia is the absence of memory. Loss of memory of events occurring in any period of time is observed in senile psychoses, severe brain injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, etc.

There are: retrograde amnesia - when memory is lost for events preceding the disease, injury, etc.; anterograde - when what happened after the disease is forgotten.

One of the founders of Russian psychiatry S.S. Korsakov described a syndrome that occurs during chronic alcoholism and was named Korsakov psychosis in his honor. The symptom complex he described, which occurs in other diseases, is called Korsakoff syndrome.

Korsakov's syndrome. With this memory impairment, remembering current events worsens. The patient does not remember who talked to him today, whether his relatives visited him, what he ate at breakfast, and does not know the names of the medical workers who constantly serve him. Patients do not remember events of the recent past, and inaccurately reproduce events that happened to them many years ago.

Reproduction disorders include paramnesia - confabulation and pseudoreminiscence.

Confabulation. Filling memory gaps with events and facts that did not take place in reality, and this occurs in addition to the desire of the patients to deceive and mislead. This type of memory pathology can be observed in patients with alcoholism with the development of Korsakov's psychosis, as well as in patients with senile psychosis with damage to the frontal lobes of the brain.

Pseudo-reminiscences are distorted memories. They differ from confabulation in their greater stability, and as about the present, patients talk about events that may have happened in the distant past, perhaps they saw them in a dream or they never happened in the patients’ lives. These painful disorders are often observed in patients with senile psychoses.

Hypermnesia - increased memory. As a rule, it is innate in nature and consists of remembering information in a larger volume than normal and for a longer period of time. In addition, it can be observed in patients in a state of manic excitement with manic-depressive psychosis and a manic state with schizophrenia.

Patients with various types of memory disorders need gentle treatment. This is especially true for patients with amnesia, since a sharp decrease in memory makes them completely helpless. Understanding their condition, they are afraid of ridicule and reproaches from others and react extremely painfully to them. When patients behave incorrectly, medical workers should not be irritated, but, if possible, should correct them, encourage and reassure them. You should never dissuade a patient with confabulations and pseudo-reminiscences that his statements are devoid of reality. This will only irritate the patient, and the medical worker’s contact with him will be disrupted.

Someone correctly noted that we die not when we are buried, but when we are forgotten. Georgian writer O. Chiladze, developing the same idea, writes: “ If someone remembers someone who has passed away, they still have a future.».

While working on this essay on of blessed memory wonderful person- Aslan Musaevich Ferzauli-Bersanov, meeting and communicating with people who knew and loved him, I always had the feeling of his invisible presence. They talked about him as if he had not died, as if he continued to live, bringing, as before, joy with every appearance, with every action. They spoke not with sorrow, but with some kind of light sadness and gratitude, trying to say as much as possible, afraid of not saying something important that he left to everyone as a good memory of himself.

This bright sadness for a person whom I, unfortunately, did not know before, was transmitted to me. It came to me from the memories of his mother and wife, colleagues, from many photographs that captured the moments of his short but intense good deeds and actions of life. She looked at me with the eyes of his children, which seemed to me not childishly sad, because one day my beloved dad did not return home, as always...

Aslan loved many things in this life: parents, wife, children, friends. How versatile and creative person was interested in music, poetry, art. He took his professional activities seriously and responsibly, working as a leading specialist-expert in the environmental supervision department of the department for technological and environmental supervision in the Republic of Ingushetia.

He devoted a lot of time to his work, worked enthusiastically, trying to thoroughly, to the subtleties, study the business in which he was engaged. The environmental direction of his professional activity was also close to his spirit. A reverent attitude towards people, towards nature, towards all living things was part of the sympathetic nature of Aslan, a deeply religious and God-fearing man.

Mother Tamara Ferzauli recalls that Aslan had a kind character. He didn’t like it when people spoke badly about someone behind his back, he treated people compassionately. It was completely natural for him to simply help people, to do something nice for them.

Aslan had a habit of giving rides to people standing at bus stops, says his mother. - I have never driven past a woman with a child in her arms. It didn't matter that they were strangers, and that their route could have been in a completely opposite direction.

I believe in this, seeing among Aslan’s photographs and various papers many New Year cards. His wife Lisa (Akhilgova), sorting through them, explains: “He bought them, wanting to congratulate his colleagues, friends and numerous acquaintances on the New Year. He loved to compose congratulations using computer graphics, then print them on a color printer and only then paste them into postcards.”

True, he did not have time to give these cards to anyone, nor did he manage to celebrate the New Year 2010 with his family and colleagues...

By some strange coincidence, Aslan, like his father, passed away at the age of 37. He was only two years old when he was left without a father.

These 37 years, according to the mother, turned out to be fatal for Aslan. In childhood, fearing, like any mother, for her only son, who was distinguished by excessive nimbleness and agility, which seemed dangerous to her, she turned to the then-famous Khusen-mullah from Sernovodsk. He then told her that she should be especially attentive to her son and take care of him in the period from 37 to 40 years. " If he manages to bypass this period, he will live to a ripe old age.", added the mullah.

Over the years, I forgot about this warning,” Tamara recalls now. – When he turned 36, I suddenly remembered this and waited with fear for my son’s 37th birthday. I gave her all the time, worry about my son did not leave me. He, of course, did not know about my concerns.

Before her son’s 37th birthday, Tamara again distributes sag1a and appeals to pilgrims traveling to Mecca with a request to pray for the well-being of their son in holy places.

The mother's fears were complemented by Aslan's strange behavior. One day, when her mother started talking about her illness and expressed fear for her life in connection with the upcoming operation (Tamara suffers from a severe form of asthma), he affectionately took her hand and said: “ Mom, I won't see you die...».

Once, in a conversation with me, he mentioned that in his dreams his late grandmother Khazimat often comes to him and takes him to places of such unearthly beauty that he doesn’t want to return from,” Tamara recalls.

There were many such frightening incidents that brought the mother to tears, including Aslan’s unexpected request that there be a lot of grapes, dates and bananas at his funeral. And a few days before his death, entering his mother’s room, Aslan told her that he had forgiven all the people who had ever caused him offense or harm...

It seems to me that, seeing his mother’s all-consuming love for himself, he, anticipating something, tried in this way to prepare her for a possible tragedy.

...That day he was late at work. I tried to finish the report, and so that the employees would not interfere with my work, I locked myself in my office.

“I knocked on his door several times,” recalls his colleague Adam Bekmurziev. “I even called on the phone, hoping that I would hear his phone ring through the office door. However, his phone turned out to be switched off and, deciding that he had left, I left.

Aslan was so busy that day that he didn’t even notice how everyone left and the office was closed. He called his mother and said that he was delayed and would be home soon. Then he contacted the employees, explaining the situation in which he found himself.

It’s hard to say now why he didn’t wait until one of them arrived to open the door for him. front door. If this had happened in the summer, it would indeed have been easy for Aslan to jump from the window of his office onto the landing of the neighboring building, located at arm's length from their building. Relatives say that he was very flexible and loved sports. His acrobatic stunts, with climbing on roofs and going to school “on his hands” (secondary school No. 2 was located next to his house) in childhood, with serious approach, according to experts who noticed his abilities, could have great success and development. Probably, this long-standing self-confidence forced him to take this careless act.

However, it was a winter day. The darkness, frost and icy conditions played their evil role. Apparently he slipped and fell down from the height of the fourth floor...

The mullah's prediction and mother's fears were confirmed - Aslan never crossed the threshold of his 38th birthday.

He must have felt his end approaching. How else to explain many symbolic circumstances. In conversations with Aslan’s work colleagues, I again heard that he was afraid of heights and did not fly in airplanes. He admitted that in his dreams he often falls from a height and breaks...

I noticed one thing. Colleagues talked about Aslan as if he were alive, as if two years had not passed since his death. Adam Bekmurziev took me into his office, where his computer still stands and all Aslan’s files and photo archive are still stored in it. As if he left the office for a while and will come to work again tomorrow...

This is how his work colleagues spoke about him.

Batyr Dalakov:

“I worked with Aslan from the first days. He was a very efficient specialist who knew his job. He completed all reporting forms ahead of schedule and in a highly professional manner. Many came to him for professional advice, for help, which he refused to anyone. An exceptionally polite, decent and respectful guy, a good person. For all of us, Aslan’s death was an unexpected and difficult loss.”

Lolita Tutaeva:

“Aslan was the life of the party, a brilliant organizer. He was a man of action, of many plans that he was going to bring to life. I would call it a meteor; the energy in it was constantly seething. He loved his job very much and was an expert in his field. Sociable by nature, positive, able to get along with everyone mutual language, was very attentive to people, even in small things. He constantly talked about his family – children, mother, wife.”

Adam Bekmurziev:

“Due to our line of work, he and I often went together to inspect subordinate facilities. I had the opportunity to watch him skillfully work. The fact is that our organization, after the reorganization, slightly changed the direction of its activities. And during that period, Aslan was often involved in developing projects that regulated the activities of facilities that generated waste, emissions, etc. This was specific work, which, in fact, should have been carried out by a separate organization, but since there was no such thing in the republic, Aslan was engaged in this, at a good professional level.”

Khava Getagazova:

“In addition, he carried out supervisory activities. According to the documents prepared by Aslan, which contained some final indicators of the activities of our department, we always won. He approached his work so competently, taking into account all the innovations, as well as changes in legislation and special techniques. It was important for him to keep abreast of all the latest developments directly related to his supervisory activities.

For us, he remains an example of a responsible attitude to work. In the person of Aslan we have lost good man, comrade, colleague, whom we do not forget, we always remember.”

Aslan was rewarded several times for conscientious work, impeccable and efficient civil service. He was also awarded a certificate of honor for many years of work and great personal contribution to the preservation and enhancement of the natural resources of the Russian Federation in 2009 by order of the Minister of Resources of Russia dated December 16. This certificate of honor came to the department after his death. Aslan, unfortunately, did not have time to rejoice at such a high appreciation of his work.

Aslan was truly a knowledge-hungry person. He continued to study (received a second higher education, being a part-time student at a branch of the Moscow University of Business and Management), improved himself in a variety of fields of knowledge, and dreamed of performing the Hajj and traveling around the world. He promised his children and wife that they would definitely see the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He managed to take them to Catherine’s Palace in his beloved city of St. Petersburg.

Making gifts, presenting unexpected surprises, giving joy was something like a hobby for him. Having lost his father early and realizing how much he missed him, he tried to do everything in his power to be a good father for his children: three sons - Arbi, Albert, Astamira and daughter Rayana.

An attentive and caring son. He trusted no one to care for his sick mother, even when she was in the hospital.

« He has never offended me in my life“, Tamara admits.

Each of his relatives has something to remember about him. For his wife Lisa, this is probably a painting hanging in her room. Made in the genre of arts and crafts, it surprises with its skill and elegance of execution. This is the only work that Aslan made and presented to his wife as a gift on her 23rd birthday with the same number of roses. He was also a romantic.

You can live long life and not leave anything memorable or lasting as a legacy about yourself. It’s good if life is filled with meaning, if, despite its brevity or duration, it is lived with a sense of duty, kindness, joy and love for people. The way Aslan lived it.

- Every time you can’t remember a name or the name of a place, make a note in your diary.
- What if I can’t remember about the diary?..

In this article, we will introduce you to the principles of memory, talk about techniques for memorizing and retrieving memories, share exercises, recommendations from scientists, and unexpected facts about memory. You will definitely remember this :)

How memory works

Did you know that the very word “memory” misleads us? It makes it seem like we're talking about one thing, one mental skill. But over the past fifty years, scientists have discovered that there are several different memory processes. For example, we have short-term and long-term memory.

Everyone knows that short term memory used when you need to hold a thought in your mind for about a minute (for example, a telephone number you are about to call). At the same time, it is very important not to think about anything else - otherwise you will immediately forget the number. This statement is true for both young and old people, but for the latter its relevance is still slightly higher. Short-term memory is involved in various processes, for example, it is used to track changes in numbers during addition or subtraction.

Long term memory b is responsible for everything that we need in more than a minute, even if during this period you were distracted by something else. Long-term memory is divided into procedural and declarative.

Procedural memory concerns activities such as riding a bicycle or playing the piano. Once you have learned to do this, subsequently your body will simply repeat the necessary movements - and this is controlled by procedural memory.
Declarative memory, in turn, is involved in the conscious retrieval of information, for example when you need to retrieve a shopping list. This type of memory can be either verbal (verbal) or visual (visual) and is divided into semantic and episodic memory.

Semantic memory refers to the meaning of concepts (particularly the names of people). Let us assume that knowledge of what a bicycle is belongs to this type of memory.
Episodic memory- to events. For example, knowing the last time you went on a bike ride appeals to your episodic memory. Part of episodic memory is autobiographical - it concerns various events and life experiences.

Finally we got to prospective memory- it refers to things you are going to do: call a car service, or buy a bouquet of flowers and visit your aunt, or clean the cat's litter box.

How memories are formed and returned

Memory is a mechanism that causes impressions received in the present to influence us in the future. For the brain, new experiences mean spontaneous neural activity. When something happens to us, clusters of neurons come into action, transmitting electrical impulses. Gene work and protein production create new synapses and stimulate the growth of new neurons.

But the process of forgetting is similar to how snow falls on objects, covering them with itself, from which they become white-white - so much so that you can no longer distinguish where everything was.

The impulse that triggers the retrieval of a memory - an internal (thought or feeling) or external event - causes the brain to associate it with an incident from the past. works as a kind of predictive device: it constantly prepares for the future based on the past. Memories condition our perception of the present by providing a “filter” through which we look and automatically assume what will happen next.

The mechanism for retrieving memories has an important property. It has only been thoroughly studied in the last twenty-five years: when we retrieve an encoded memory from internal storage, it is not necessarily recognized as something from the past.

Let's take cycling for example. You get on a bike and just ride, and clusters of neurons fire in your brain that allow you to pedal, balance, and brake. This is one type of memory: an event in the past (trying to learn to ride a bike) influenced your behavior in the present (you ride it), but you do not experience today's bike ride as a memory of the first time you managed to do it.

If we ask you to remember the very first time you rode a bike, you will think, scan your memory storage, and, say, you will have an image of your dad or older sister running after you, you will remember the fear and pain of the first fall or the delight of you managed to get to the nearest turn. And you will know for sure that you are remembering something from the past.

The two types of memory processing are closely related in our daily lives. Those that help us pedal are called implicit memories, and the ability to remember the day we learned to ride is called explicit memories.

Master of mosaics

We have short-term working memory, a slate of consciousness on which we can this moment place a picture. And, by the way, it has a limited capacity where the images present in the foreground of consciousness are stored. But there are other types of memory.

In the left hemisphere, the hippocampus generates factual and linguistic knowledge; in the right - arranges the “bricks” life story by time and topic. All this work makes the memory “search engine” more efficient. The hippocampus can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle: it connects individual fragments of images and sensations of implicit memories into complete “pictures” of factual and autobiographical memory.

If the hippocampus is suddenly damaged, for example due to a stroke, memory will also be impaired. Daniel Siegel told this story in his book: “Once at a dinner with friends, I met a man with this problem. He politely told me that he had had several bilateral hippocampal strokes and asked me not to be offended if I went away for a second to get myself some water and he didn’t remember me later. And sure enough, I returned with a glass in my hands, and we introduced ourselves to each other again.”

Like some types of sleeping pills, alcohol is notorious for temporarily shutting down our hippocampus. However, the state of blackout caused by alcohol is not the same as temporary loss of consciousness: the person is conscious (although incapacitated), but does not encode what is happening in explicit form. People experiencing such memory lapses may not remember how they got home or how they met the person with whom they woke up in the same bed in the morning.

The hippocampus also shuts down when angry, and people who suffer from uncontrollable rage are not necessarily lying when they claim not to remember what they said or did in this altered state of consciousness.

How to test your memory

Psychologists use different techniques to test your memory. Some of them can be done independently at home.

Verbal memory test. Ask someone to read 15 words to you (only unrelated words: “bush, bird, hat”, etc.). Repeat them: people under 45 usually remember about 7-9 words. Then listen to this list four more times. Norm: reproduce 12–15 words. Go about your business and after 15 minutes repeat the words (but only from memory). Most middle-aged people cannot reproduce more than 10 words.
Visual memory test. Draw this complex diagram, and after 20 try to draw it from memory. The more details you remember, the better your memory is.

How memory is related to the senses

According to scientist Michael Merzenich, “One of the most important conclusions drawn from the results of the recent study is that the senses (hearing, vision, and others) are closely related to memory and cognitive abilities. Because of this interdependence, the weakness of one often means, or even causes, the weakness of the other.

For example, it is known that patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease gradually lose their memory. And one of the manifestations of this disease is that they begin to eat less. It turned out that since the symptoms of this disease include visual impairment, patients (among other reasons) simply do not see food...

Another example concerns normal age-related changes cognitive activity. As a person ages, he becomes more and more forgetful and absent-minded. This is largely explained by the fact that the brain no longer processes sensory signals as well as before. As a result, we lose the ability to retain new visual images of our experiences as clearly as before, and we subsequently have trouble using and retrieving them.”

By the way, it is curious that exposure to blue light enhances the reaction to emotional stimuli of the hypothalamus and amygdala, that is, the areas of the brain responsible for organizing attention and memory. So looking at all shades of blue is helpful.

Techniques and exercises for memory training

The first and most important thing you need to know to have a good memory is. Studies have shown that the hippocampus, responsible for spatial memory, is enlarged in taxi drivers. This means that the more often you engage in activities that use your memory, the better you improve it.

And also here are a few more techniques that will help you develop your memory, improve your ability to recall and remember everything you need.

1. Go crazy!

People have always been interested in superpowers for remembering information; it is known that we only partially use the capabilities of the brain; by studying the features of memory development, one can improve memory and achieve great results in life. Let's analyze what memory is, how does information memorization occur?

Memory- the ability to preserve and reproduce traces of impressions.

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Scientists have concluded that every arousal leaves a trace in the nervous system, any events, circumstances, people, emotions. Moreover, memory is divided into short-term and long-term. What is their difference?

Short-term is necessary for solving operational problems and is used constantly in the process of life.

Long-term is a memory that retains information throughout life. For example, how to read and write, dressing skills, basic knowledge, self-care skills. All this data is recorded at a deep level.

emotional memory- allows you to store information about experienced emotions (happiness, joy, despair, sadness), influences behavior in the future and helps regulate behavior under various circumstances. It is known that interest in the object of study and positive emotions contribute to rapid memorization;
figurative memory- reproduces images of objects, processes, people with whom they were in contact or interacted. Figurative memory is associated with a person’s sensitivity, skills and ways of perceiving the world around him. Based on the type of analyzers, they are divided into: auditory, olfactory, tactile, and taste memory.

It is known that a person receives 80% of information through visual memory, however, with visual impairment, other methods of memorization and sensation of life are activated (perception by hearing, through touch). Each type of memory has a special meaning; we perceive the picture of the world as a whole. It is important to hear speech, remember intonations, music - and at the same time see and feel the surrounding objects and people.

It is surprising that artists, having lost their sight, continue to create paintings, and musicians, after losing their hearing, can write music. All this is possible thanks to figurative memory, which stores information about sounds and colors. Indeed, man has incredible abilities by nature.

How to develop memory and improve memorization abilities?

Ways to influence the memorization of information

Peculiarities of memory development have been studied by scientists for a long time, and they paid attention to involuntary memory. Why do we remember certain fragments of life, forgetting others? It was found that a person remembers not what he often sees and encounters in life, but those events that impressed him more or forced him to make an effort to achieve results.

Knowing about these properties of memory, teachers in the classroom can not just ask to study a paragraph of a textbook, but give the following task: make a plan or retell what you read - which is much more difficult. There is another way to focus attention - understatement, the assumption of a continuation, when we watch a film or read an article, the phrase “to be continued” stimulates memorization until the next release, the continuation of the plot.

Of course, the emotional state and the mood on a certain issue are important; it is known that interesting information is remembered better. This also affects academic performance: something is grabbed on the fly, while other items pass by without being remembered. It is important to take into account interests and hobbies when choosing a future profession.

- this is the prerogative of man; no other species of living beings on Earth is capable of remembering the necessary information through an effort of will. Before three years The child uses involuntary memory, and then can independently remember the necessary data.

Features of memory development in childhood It is customary to stimulate through mechanical memorization - repeating information many times, rereading, memorizing. At the same time, it is easier for one person to perceive data aurally, for another - visually. It is worth paying attention to this and using it in learning and memorization. There are visual, auditory and kinetic types of memory (sensations, movements).

Simonides' technique

Scientists have noticed that text with meaning can be remembered 20 times more effectively than text without meaning. The memorization method was founded in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC by the poet Simonides, whose principles are still relevant:

if you need to remember a large amount of information, it should be split into parts;
for the purpose of memorization, data must be repeated many times than is necessary for the initial repetition of knowledge;
after half an hour, the information needs to be repeated, since after sixty minutes the residual memory is fifty percent, the next day - thirty percent, so the material is often repeated before classes. And someone can learn everything even during recess and tell it better.
An important rule is that 30 repetitions over 30 days is better than 100 in one day. In order for information to be remembered for a long time, it is necessary to repeat it every day, reread it;
try to use a combination of different types of memory to remember (vision, hearing, movement). So, children are recommended to study foreign languages V game form using toys, playing out stories and actions.

Features of memory development require its training, the possibility of improvement by memorizing poems, repeating foreign words, and training attentiveness. Here are a few simple ways for the development of visual memory:

- look for a few seconds at an object, person, picture, try to remember the details. Play from eyes closed seen, completely with all the nuances. If it’s difficult, look at the object again and repeat the exercise.
Matches- to start, use 4 matches, throw them on the table and remember the location in your memory, imagine them with your eyes closed. By practicing regularly, you can increase the number to fourteen matches.

To develop auditory memory, use the following method, which develops internal memory - mentally name a chain of simple mathematical examples, try to remember, count. This will require returning to the chain, the words.

At the end of the day, it is useful to remember events, new people, names, details of communication to train your memory. Try to recreate clear images in chronological order; the description should be in words and actions.

Psychology, individual characteristics memory and its development have always aroused interest, but certain efforts are required to achieve results that will pay off in the future with new achievements in various areas of life.

Let's move on to consider modern methods of memory development.

Mnemonic memory techniques

Mnemonics- This is a special science of memory that arose about two thousand years ago. It is based on the system of the scientist Simonides; he proposed storing knowledge in memory in a special way, building special rooms and houses. This scheme was also used by other figures - Cicero, Quintilian.

Mnemonics is designed to help in the memorization process, to facilitate it, looking for ways to quickly and successfully memorize large amounts of knowledge, the main technique is the use of associative thinking. It is known that if the digits of a phone number or the name of a new acquaintance are mentally connected by associations - the image of another person, familiar dates, then memorization occurs much faster.

The method of figurative grouping is also known. This method involves dividing information into semantic parts and drawing mental pictures for each part of the text, which simplifies the reproduction of information. This technique helps students reproduce information. Often, being in an emotional state, you can forget the necessary information, the presence of pictures - images helps to restore information.

Entry into the text- This is another method that simplifies memorization and allows you to increase memory capabilities. The essence of the method is to link information to sensations; in addition to figurative grouping, you need to add emotions, imagine yourself in the role of a traveler or scientist inventing something, everything depends on the situation, the more emotions there are, the more clues for creating “hooks” for memorization. Mentally we create a film with pictures and living sensations.

Keywords - it is important to write down key words after working on information; they will allow you to subsequently reproduce the picture of events along with other methods.

pocket method(mentally distribute actions, purchases into pockets, sorting into groups, the clearer the picture, the more likely it is to remember);
matrix memorization(represents the mental grouping of objects, actions into cells, and by arranging them in space, no more than five on one surface, you can use a room, furniture);
chain memorization(mentally arranging objects and people in the required sequence on a certain street, for example, endowing them with the necessary properties for better memorization);
reception of associations(suitable if it is necessary to fill in a large amount of information, digital series, in in this case it is necessary to learn a number of associations and mentally connect it with the right words);
tabular memorization(mentally drawing up a table with entering the necessary data, sequential actions).

To work with large texts, it is recommended to use plot-based memorization, which allows you to quickly assimilate information. It is necessary to feel all the incidents, plunge into the atmosphere described in the text, and become the hero of the novel. After drawing up the plot, it is worth retelling the information, “sounding out the film.”

Retelling has a strong effect on activating the brain and improving memory processes. This is a very strong aid in memory development.

Memorization algorithm:

Internal orientation towards memorization (we give ourselves an internal task, volume, required level of knowledge);
Entering the text (we tune in to emotional perception);
Grouping information (distributing information, creating images);
Memorizing, scanning, retelling.

When it comes to memorizing numbers, there are 2 main methods:

associative(the numbers are enlarged and similarities are looked for - familiar dates to remember);
using encoding, matrix(shapes, colors, words - there are various encodings that help you remember numbers).

Recently, scientists have been looking for new approaches to the issue of memory development and methods of memorization. Let's take a closer look at these theories.

Modern scientists also study the individual characteristics of memory and its development, so Muller proposed a technique called “holographic memory”. Its peculiarity is a significant increase in the use of memory potential. The author developed a technique assuming that memories can be stored in the form of holograms according to a certain order and used for targeted use.

Features of the development of imagination and memory, according to this technique, are stimulated based on basic principles:

Memories of the external and internal level are perceived by each person in a special way;
Memories respond well to targeted appeal, concentration on a specific task leads to an increase in the quality and quantity of acquired knowledge stored in memory;
Memories need to be structured, arranged in an order convenient for further work;
Memories of sensations are located differently, there are special lines for them, you need to learn how to connect these fragments of memories to improve memory;
Memory is enhanced by using certain places in space, turning on the internal projector, where data is recorded in the form of slides that can be combined;
Emotions enhance the perception of information presented on the hologram;
Arranging memories in chronological order leads to the removal of internal barriers to memories that were previously blocked by the brain;
To improve memorization, he recommends rationally increasing the time, logically or figuratively working with the material;
Repeated repetition of information without using logic leads to blurring of the hologram and impairs memorization;
Concrete actions appear well on the hologram, even better than mental conclusions;
To store mental conclusions it is worth using different kinds sensations, based on things that exist in reality;
In the process of working with holographic memories, it is possible to both enhance and reduce the level of memories and memory capabilities;
Breathing exercises that stimulate thought processes have a similar effect on memory;
Working with holographic images on on a daily basis significantly improves memory abilities;
The Memory Hologram activates the unconscious memory, stimulating memories that were thought to be lost.

The author of the book announces a twofold increase in memory when performing basic exercises and several times when mastering the entire holographic memory technique. Its approach differs from previously known technologies associated with data encoding and matrix construction. The technique improves thinking, memorization, and work with information from previous years. The memory technology is described in more detail in the book “Introduction to Holographic Memory.”

The peculiarity of memory development at an early age is manifested in increased learning ability, the need to remember large volumes information for orientation in the world, self-service, understanding of life processes. The child gains his first experience thanks to the properties of emotional, motor and figurative memory.

Memory is necessary for a child to understand the world and is key in acquiring experience and new skills. Memory early age involuntary, memorization occurs without special effort on the part of the child, therefore it makes no sense to say “remember”, he will gradually understand - and the information will be deposited on the subcortex of the brain.

Children often show miracles of memory in studying poetry, memorizing fairy tales; it is believed that a good memory is normal for a child, and besides, they live with emotions, which contributes to memorization. The child lives every fairy tale, story, feels how the heroes of the story go through adventures.

Peculiarities of memory development in childhood are manifested in the memorization of actions that are repeated - regular washing, washing hands, eating procedures, walking, everything is remembered by the child, and later the words that are most often heard are mentally linked to the actions. Typically, an adult remembers childhood from about three years of age; it is at this age that a child begins to distinguish himself as a separate subject of the world and remember life events.

Most of the information received in childhood goes into long-term memory, helping a person live. Psychologically, the first years are also very important, when the child feels love, care, support from loved ones, and help in demonstrating independence. In opposite cases, there may be difficulties with socialization and disruption of the life program (difficulties in building a family, having children).

Psychological features of children's memory development are manifested in the use imaginative thinking and memory, after four years the possibility of arbitrary memory is manifested, which is best manifested in the form of a game. They can already repeat and memorize poems. At school age, they learn new ways of memorizing - generalization, classification. Use planning and retelling to memorize.

Memorize, don't cram

It is important to learn to memorize material logically, and not to “memorize” it, this gets in the way creative development and does not provide development efficiency mental abilities in future. Peculiarities of memory development are also manifested in adolescence when there is an increased need to acquire knowledge. Logical memory comes first, mechanical memory manifests itself to a lesser extent, so incomprehensible material is poorly absorbed.

At this age, memory is already more intellectualized, various methods mnemonics, understanding the need to develop your memorization potential. At an older age, the peculiarities of memory development are manifested by good memorization, since there is a need to master one’s profession, specialization, and adaptation in society occurs. People can receive several degrees or study by correspondence.

In old age, memory disorders often manifest themselves, which is associated with disturbances in the functioning of the brain; often such people remember events well distant years, forgetting the immediate past. This is due to the deterioration of working memory against the background of clarity of long-term memory.

The causes of forgetfulness can be both physiological (nervous system disorders, Alzheimer's disease) and psychological - depressive states. It is necessary to control these processes, consult with doctors to improve the situation, worry less, positive emotions contribute to good health.

Thus, we examined the main types of memory, the features of the development of thinking and memory in different people depending on their perception of life, age, the main ways to improve the memorization of information, and shared knowledge about new systems. We hope that we were able to shed light on the mystery of human memory.

We wish everyone to have wonderful memories for many years to come and be happy!

Last updated: 03/10/2014

Our memory helps us become who we really are. From fond memories of childhood to frantically trying to remember where your keys are... Memory plays a vital role in every aspect of our lives. It gives us a sense of self and constitutes our life experience. It's easy to think of memory as a closet in our head, where we can store and store information until we need it. In fact, it is a surprisingly complex process that involves numerous areas of the brain. Memories can be vivid and lasting, or they can easily change and fade.
Here is a selection interesting facts about our memory.

1. The hippocampus plays an important role in memory.

The hippocampus is a horseshoe-shaped region of the brain that plays an important role in moving information from short-term memory to long-term memory. It is part of the limbic system, associated with emotions and long-term memory. The hippocampus is involved in complex processes such as the formation, organization and storage of memories.
Since both sides of the brain are symmetrical, the hippocampus can be found in both hemispheres. If the hippocampus of one of them is damaged or destroyed, the memory will function virtually unchanged as long as the other hemisphere is not damaged.
Damage to the hippocampus in both hemispheres can interfere with the ability to form new memories, a phenomenon called anterograde amnesia.
As we age, the functioning of the hippocampus may decline. By the time a person reaches 80 years of age, they have lost up to 20% of the neural connections in the hippocampus. Although not all older adults who show decline in performance on memory tests experience this phenomenon.

2. Most information from short-term memory is forgotten quickly

The total capacity of short-term memory is considered to be quite limited. Experts believe that we can hold about seven pieces of information in short-term memory for about 20-30 seconds. This ability can be somewhat improved with the help of mnemonic techniques and grouping of information.
In a famous paper published in 1956, psychologist George Miller proposed that short-term memory capacity was between five and nine elements. Today, many memory experts believe that the true potential of short-term memory capacity is probably closer to four elements.

3. Tests actually help us remember better.

It may seem that memorizing and repeating information is guaranteed to help us remember it, but researchers have found that, in fact, one of the the best ways to remember something is to pass a test.
In one experiment, it was found that students who were tested were better able to remember material, even material that was not included in the test. Students who had more time to study the material but were not given a test performed significantly worse on the material.

4. You can improve your memory yourself

Do you feel like you constantly forget or lose things you use every day? Have you ever walked into a room and realized you couldn't remember why you entered it in the first place? You might think you're just doomed to endure these daily hassles, but researchers have discovered that you can improve your memory.
A 2005 study published in the Monitor on Psychology found a number of useful strategies for combating memory decline. These methods include:

Using technology to track information. Mobile devices and online calendars with reminder functions help people keep track of events, to-dos, and important dates.
Formation of a “mental picture”. Systematically remembering things you often forget (like where you left your car keys) can help you remember them better. The next time you put your keys somewhere, take a moment and try to mentally note where you left them, as well as remember the other objects that are lying next to them. If you think to yourself, “I left my keys on the table next to my wallet,” you will likely have an easier time remembering it later.
Use of mnemonic techniques. Repetition of information, use of symbols, and other memorization strategies are perhaps the best for overcoming minor memory problems. By learning how to use these strategies effectively, you can bypass faulty areas of memory and teach your brain to function in new ways.

5. There are four main reasons why we forget.

In order to combat forgetfulness, it is important to understand some of the main reasons why we forget. Elizabeth Loftus, one of the world's most renowned experts on human memory, has identified four main reasons why forgetting occurs. One of the most common explanations is a simple inability to retrieve information from memory. This often occurs when memories have been accessed infrequently over a long period of time, leading to their destruction.
Another common cause of forgetting is interference, which occurs when some memories begin to compete with other memories. For example, imagine starting a new school year and a woman who works as a teacher in primary school. She spends some time memorizing her students' names, but over the course of a year she keeps naming one girl incorrectly. Why? Because this girl's older sister was in her class last year, and because of the memories of her older sister, she now has such a hard time remembering her new student's name.
Other causes of forgetting include an inability to retain information in memory at all, or even deliberate attempts to forget things associated with a disturbing or traumatic event.

6. Movie depictions of amnesia tend to be wrong.

Amnesia is a well-known trope in cinema, but the way it is portrayed diverges significantly from reality. For example, we often see a character lose their memory due to a blow to the head, and then their memories are magically restored after a second blow to the skull?
There are two different types of amnesia:

Anterograde amnesia, which involves the loss of the ability to form new memories.
Retrograde amnesia, which causes the ability to retrieve past memories to be lost, although the ability to create new memories may remain intact.

Most movies portray retrograde amnesia when in reality anterograde amnesia is considered much more common. The most famous case of anterograde amnesia was described in 1953: a patient underwent brain surgery to stop seizures caused by severe epilepsy. The surgery involved removing both hippocampi, areas of the brain strongly associated with memory. As a result, the patient was no longer able to form any new long-term memories.
Popular films and television programs portray such memory loss as quite common, but true cases of complete loss of memories of one's past and one's identity are actually quite rare.
Most common reasons amnesia is considered:

Injury. Physical trauma, such as from a car accident, can cause the victim to lose specific memories of the accident itself. Emotional trauma, such as in victims of childhood sexual abuse, can result in loss of memories of specific situations.
Taking drugs. Some medications can be used to create temporary amnesia, especially during medical procedures. Once the drugs leave the body, the individual's memory begins to function normally again.

Movies that use amnesia

RoboCop (1987);
Regarding Henry (1991);
The English Patient (1996);
Remember (2001);
The Bourne Identity (2002);
50 First Dates (2004);
Finding Nemo (2003).

7. Smell can be a powerful trigger.

Have you noticed that a particular scent can bring back a rush of vivid memories? The smell of cookies may remind you of the time you spent at your grandmother's house when you were a small child. The smell of a particular perfume may remind you of the person with whom your romantic relationship ended sadly.
Why is smell such a powerful trigger?
First, the olfactory nerve is very close to the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with emotional experience, as well as emotional memory. In addition, the olfactory nerve is located very close to the hippocampus, which is also associated with memory, as we have already written about in this article.
The ability to smell itself is, in fact, tightly linked to memory. Research has shown that when the area of the brain associated with memory is damaged, the ability to identify smells is also impaired. In order to identify a scent, you must remember when you smelled it before, and then connect visual memories that date back to the same time. According to some studies, learning information in the presence of odor increases the vividness and intensity of memories. To remember the information obtained in this way when you smell the same smell again.

8. Every time a memory is formed, new connections are created in the brain.

Researchers have long believed that changes in the brain's neurons are associated with the formation of memories. Today, most experts believe that the creation of memories is associated with the strengthening of existing connections between neurons or the growth of the number of new ones.
Connections between nerve cells, known as synapses, are involved in transmitting information in the form of nerve impulses from one neuron to another. The human brain has trillions of synapses, forming a complex and flexible network that allows us to sense, control and think. It is these changes in areas of the brain such as the cerebral cortex and hippocampus that are associated with learning and remembering new information.
Maintaining a healthy brain and synapses is critical to maintaining normal memory function overall. Damage to synapses due to disease or neurotoxins can lead to cognitive problems, memory loss, mood swings, and other changes in brain function.
So what can you do to strengthen your synapses?

Avoid stress. Research has shown that long-term exposure to stress in the human body can actually interfere with the functioning of neurotransmitters. Other studies have shown that stress reduces the number of neurons in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Avoid drugs, alcohol and other neurotoxins. Drug use and excessive alcohol consumption are associated with the destruction of synapses. Exposure to hazardous chemicals such as heavy metals and pesticides can cause this effect.
Do the exercises. Regular physical activity helps improve the oxygenation of brain cells, which is a vital factor in the formation and growth of synaptic connections.
Stimulate your brain. Researchers have found that older people who participate in mentally stimulating activities are less likely to develop dementia, and that more educated people tend to have more synaptic connections in the brain.

9. A good night's sleep can improve your memory.

You've probably heard of many reasons why a person needs a good night's sleep. Since the early 1960s, researchers have noted the important connection between sleep and memory. In one classic experiment conducted in 1994, researchers found that depriving participants of sleep caused their abilities to deteriorate.
In addition to this, sleep also plays a significant role in learning new information. One study found that depriving students of sleep after learning a new skill led to a significant decline in that skill three days later.
Researchers have found, however, that sleep has a much stronger effect on procedural memory than on declarative memory. Procedural memories involve movement and perception, while declarative memories involve remembering facts.
“If you're taking a test tomorrow on 72 irregular French verbs, you might as well be cramming late into the night,” explained Robert Stickgold, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in an article published in the Monitor on Psychology. “But if they decide to cheat and ask you to explain the difference between the Great French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, you will understand that it would be better to get some sleep.”

10. Memory problems in old age can be avoided

Alzheimer's disease and other age-related memory problems affect many older people, but memory loss in old age is not inevitable. Some abilities tend to decline with age, but researchers have found that at age 70, people often perform as well on cognitive tests as they did at age 20. Some types of memory even improve with age.
Researchers are still trying to understand why some older people manage to maintain excellent memory, while others are forced to put up with forgetfulness; and several factors have already been established. First, many experts believe that there is a genetic component responsible for maintaining memory in old age. Secondly, in their opinion, lifestyle plays an important role.
"I think a lot of this is due to the interplay of nature and nurture," Dr. Bruce S. McEwan, a professor at The Rockefeller University in New York, explained to The New York Times. “Genetic memory vulnerabilities make it more likely that this will happen.”
So what can you do to prevent the negative effects of aging on memory?
There are simply no ways to quickly get rid of memory problems. To ensure your memory functions well over time, researchers say avoiding stress, staying active and exercising your memory can help reduce your risk of memory loss as you age.

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