March 18th, 2004
Phil's Findings: How much do we remember?

By PHILIP A. RUE

Do you remember what you had for dinner two nights ago? Where are the car keys? What time is the meeting?

Memory is the unique ability of the brain which allows us to reproduce or identify something that has been learned or experienced.

It is a mental process which can become verbal or sensed or performed. Other words that are included in its definition are retention, recall, learning, and recognition. Motor habits such as physical skills may be added.

Each person has his own level of memorization ability. With concentration and practice, one's memory processes can be improved. It also requires awareness of one's surroundings.

Accurate recall is important when a witness is being questioned. Which person in the lineup is the person you saw?

Awareness and concentration are key elements in the world of memory. Some events you will never forget.

Small children learn simple responses until they become automatic, such as waving bye-bye to a person.

In sports, motor skills are practiced until high levels of ability are reached through memory of how it was achieved. Money may follow.

In school, children memorize times tables, recite simple verses, learn songs, and practice basic social skills.

Later on in high school, they are asked to memorize dramatic poems or speeches.

Once in the memory bank, these assignments may be repeated 30 or 40 years later. Or on the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" program.

I REMEMBER ONCE listening to the recitation of some lines from "Dante's Inferno" which the speaker had learned in school at least 25 years earlier.

It was the first time he had been asked to recall those lines, and as he struggled to recapture the words, we cheered him on to help him extract the verses from deep within his brain. He was applauded.

How many of us can remember Marc Antony's speech about Caesar's death? "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." Marlon Brando did a remarkable job enacting that role.

It appears that much of what we learn, see or experience is retained in the brain just as a computer stores information.

The computer, however, reproduces the original report in pristine condition, while the brain's reproduction of the event may be clear or fuzzy or somewhere in between. But this is par for the course in human memory. Partial recovery is not unusual.

You go to the supermarket but can't find your list. Oh well, you might say, there were only 10 items on the list, so I should be able to remember most of them. Chances are that you will remember only half of them. For the life of you, you just can't remember the rest.

Your memory failed only because you did not prepare it for the act of recall. A second glance at the list might have helped.

Some shoppers can be seen talking on their cell phones for assistance, keeping in mind the caveat "Don't come home without it!"

A GOOD MEMORY is important, not only in education, but in life in general. Just as forgetting is commonplace, recall should hopefully be accurate.

A system which people use to make sure they won't forget is called mnemonics. You make an association with what you want to remember and put it in your memory bank. Confidently, you hope to make use of this cue before the inevitable forgetfulness takes place.

You may associate blue eyes, pot belly, or large nose as reminders of a person's name.

For phone numbers, you may try to connect a birthday or an address as cues to help you remember. Occasionally, classes are offered for this skill. It can be practical and amusing.

Burning the midnight oil is common among students as they prepare for tests the following day. If examinations were given more frequently, memory would be better served, since the facts learned would still be fresh in one's memory and the relearning would be just a review.

Some people have very sharp memories. They can repeat facts, recite long passages of prose or poetry, repeat song lyrics after having heard them once, or even have photographic memories of what they have seen. These people enjoy life more since they recall more.

Of course, there are remembrances of negative events which must be acknowledged. These are often submerged in the deep recesses of one's memory as episodes that one would rather forget.

Some learned skills, verbal responses, and emotional reactions are never forgotten. They may be deeply rooted and reappear as automatic responses throughout one's life.

Social situations, for example, are often smoothed over by the use of memorized diplomatic expressions.

Overlearning may be the antidote to the possibility of poor memory response. While this takes concentration and determination, it may give extra confidence to a person which will become an emotional advantage when taking a test, preparing for an interview, being a member of a committee, or being questioned in a conference.

Memory is important to job success. In my first job as a grocery clerk checker, I had to memorize the prices of hundreds of products plus the changed sale prices on weekends.

As a post office clerk, I had to memorize the location of every street, avenue, and alley in the city. It was called the city scheme.

IN ORDER TO review the benefits of memorizing, I would like to offer the following lines.

Young people are winners with their receptive brains,

For even when they're older they can recite refrains

Like "itsy bitsy spider" and "row your boat downstream"

And learning from an early age that "life is but a dream."

Success in memorizing is a satisfying skill, one which will help in later life.

You'll know the National Anthem and the birthday of your wife.

You'll be smugly satisfied by knowing all you do,

For memorizing does pay off, a fact you'll never rue.

On the 50th anniversary of my high school class in 1985, these lines were used as the theme of the reunion:

"When out of the past I see you draw night,

Some memories last and I utter a sigh."

In order to check on our readers' memories, let's ask: Can you name the present members of our Fontana City Council?