Memory

Memory is very complex and hard to study because we can’t touch it, or physically see it.

 In its simplest mode, memory has two components:  Short Term Memory (STM) and Long Term Memory (LTM).

STM participates directly in cognitive processing (e.g. thinking, reflecting, acting, and so on), but its size is very small.  LTM is used for permanent “storage” of information and experience.

One popular view has it that the way people preserve relevance is by uncluttering their minds, forgetting most of what they have learned.  But this is not true in human cognition. Memory does not deliberately flush out old information to make room for new, nor does it overwhelm you with too much information when you are trying to recall something. There is no problem (in everyday experience) with “remembering too much” or “knowing too much.”  We often think highly of people with good memories, and pity those who are forgetful. Forgetting is an aspect of memory, but the mechanism is not a purging but a gradual fading over time through disuse.

Memory has an extraordinary capacity for meaning, and thus for relevance. Unlike computers, biological memory appears to be holographic in nature:  a given piece of knowledge is not stored in a single address or data field; it is distributed all over the brain and unlike computers, human memory is associative in nature:  a given piece of knowledge is accessed through a rich network of semantic associations. Biological memory gains an extraordinary degree of resiliency and flexibility through its holographic and associative neural network mechanisms.

Studies suggest that exercise increases memory (as there was an overall improvement of test subjects after exercise). There are many factors involved that may link exercise and memorization such as: increased blood flow which would bring more oxygen to the brain, epinephrine production which would increase alertness, and various hormone productions during exercise.