How can someone have poor short term memory but have better than average long te!
Question: How can someone have poor short term memory but have better than average long term memory!?
i mean if you can't remember information a short time after hearing or seeing it, how are you going to remember it after a long time!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Well, you have to understand how those two types of memory work!. Think of short term memory as working memory, capable of handling small amounts of information at a time- sort of your RAM, if you will!. Long term memory is your hard drive!. The brain is inudated with all sorts of information, and has to sort through what's important and what's not, and that is eating into your RAM somewhat!. Some of the stuff you encounter isn't something you really want to remember forever, otherwise you would seriously gum up the works!. So in that case, the brain retains the info only long enough to work with it, and then dumps it after a short period of time!. If you really want something to transfer into your long term memory, you have to work at it!. Remember the mind numbing drills in school!? Well, practicing or working with a particular bit of info is more likely to get it engraved into permanent storage- the long term memory!. Also, the more different parts of the brain that are engaged, the more likely a memory is to stick!. If something is just a random bit of info- like a phone number you needed to call- well, that only applies to the part of the brain that deals with numbers!. Unless you call that number pretty often, that lone cell is going to gather dust or get lost!. Now, I bet you remember what an apple pie your grandma bakes is like- huh!? You remember the smell, the look, the taste- well, those are different areas of the brain, all storing a bit of that apple pie memory!. More bits, more brain involved, more likely to have the memory!. Poor short term memory usually means you just weren't particularly interested in keeping the memory to start with, though!. In some cases, short term memory can be damaged- brain injury or trauma can do that!. Brain pain injuries can also interfere with a memory being made to start with- one reason why accident victims don't remember what happened!. The recorder was messed with, and no memory was ever made!. They didn't forget, they never "knew" to begin with!. You can also damage memory ability with things like drugs or alcohol!. And you don't do your brain any favors by not keeping it active either!. If the last time you read a book was high school, and you don't try to learn new things on a fairly regular basis, parts of you brain lose ability!. You might say the brain machinery becomes a rusty tool, harder to use and it takes longer to do it!. Old folks are somewhat typecast as being forgetful, but barring disorders like Alzheimer's- the problem isn't with the short term memory at all, but with the retrieval process!. Can you imagine how many memories your brain would have to sift through by the time you hit the 70's or 80's!?!? That's a lot of stuff to sift through to find the one applicable memory you want!. Like when your hard drive gets close to full, it takes the processor a bit longer to find what you want!. Brains work in a similar fashion!. I know, a lot more about memory that you thought- huh!? Human memory and the way it all works is actually quite fascinating, and provides work for lots of researchers!. Especially those in the computer science field working on artificial intelligence!. Human memory and brain function is wonderfully complicated and mysterious, and for all our nifty tools, we are still working in a very uncharted and unexplored region of ourselves!. It also makes for some fascinating reading, if you care to do a web search on it and find out for yourself!. Check out "the magic number 7" and memory, just to start in with the short term stuff!. Then you will discover why things like phone numbers and zip/postal codes work, and why oddball stuff like your computer password or bank codewords are such a challenge!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Short term memory and long term memory come from from different parts of the brain!. It is possible that one form of memory is stronger than the other due to that part of the brain being stronger!. Possibly an injury to the head, at some point, may have damaged the weaker part!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Here are a couple interesting relevant things to read:
Lack of Short-Term Memory Doesn't Stop New Grad
http://www!.npr!.org/templates/story/story!.!.!.
Clive Wearing - The Man With No Short-Term Memory
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Clive_Weari!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Lack of Short-Term Memory Doesn't Stop New Grad
http://www!.npr!.org/templates/story/story!.!.!.
Clive Wearing - The Man With No Short-Term Memory
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Clive_Weari!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Because whatever is causing the person to lose his short-term memory may be a recent development that occurred after many long-term memories were built!. My grandmother has virtually no short-term memory, but she can remember the name of her high school classmates from 1939!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
thats me, i can remember detail for detail of things as early as when i was 15, so vividly, but ask what i was talking about 5 mins ago and i coulent tell you!Www@Answer-Health@Com
well!.!.!.!.personally i think!.!.!.!.!.hang on!.!.!.who are you again!? What am I doing here!?Www@Answer-Health@Com