Joshua Foer, science writer and the winner of the
2006 Memory Championship, explains his yearlong exploration of how the mind and
memory work together. He describes how the
discipline of training and cultivating the memory appears to be a lost art. The use of electronic computer devices has
taken the place of efficiently using the memory. Carr (2011) would agree with Foer that memory
should not be outsourced to the computer since the mind continually shapes identity. Dewey (1916/1966) stated, “excessive reliance
upon others for data (whether got from reading or listening) is to be
depreciated” (p.157). This quote from
Dewey highlights the view shared by Carr and Foer in regard to relying on other
people and/or devices for thinking and memory.
Foer explains how he creates imagined scenarios in
order to generate associations with what he wants to remember. James would agree with Foer that associations
are critical to memory. “The ‘secret of a good memory’ is thus the secret of
forming diverse and multiple associations with every fact we care to retain”
(James, 1899/2001, p. 61).
Foer emphasized that the keys to remembering are paying
attention, engaging deeply in the process, connecting to the meaning of the
information, and associating it to what is already known. A personal observation for enhancing memory is to
practice meditation and yoga. These activities, if practiced consistently, may
enhance the ability to cultivate the memory by improving concentration,
increasing attention, and sharpening focus.
Reference:
Dewey, J. (1966). Democracy and education. New York,
NY: The Free Press. (Original work
published 1916).
Hi Karen, I am watching this video and will comment on it soon.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right that Joshua Foer, Nicholas Carr, and William James all discuss the importance of memory and the central role of associations in memory. At the same time, I don't believe that James would agree with the kinds of associations Foer uses. Foer doesn't look for meaningful connections between ideas. Instead, he tries to create fantastical images to aid memory. According to him, the more sensational the image, the better it is as a memory device. It obviously has been very effective for him, but I wonder if these short term memories are being consolidated into long term memories. Would someone remember items memorized this way 30 years from now? I'm reminded of James' comment about "artificial systems of mnemonics, some public, some sold as secrets. They are all so many devices for training us into certain methodical and stereotyped ways of thinking about the facts we seek to retain" (p. 63). After giving an example of how to remember historical dates using the number-alphabet, James concludes, "Apart from the extreme difficulty of finding words that are appropriate in this exercise, it is clearly an excessively poor, trivial, and silly way of 'thinking' about dates; and the way of the historian is much better."
ReplyDeleteJames also claimed, "there can be no improvement of the general or elementary faculty of memory" (p. 61), but you make an excellent point about yoga possibly aiding memory by helping improve concentration. What do you think? Does James' statement fail to consider how the supports to memory can be improved, or is James right that memory is only improved through building a stronger set of associations in a particular area?
Excellent observations, Mary Ann. I think you're right that James would argue that Foer's strategies may not pay off in the long run. Or, at least, that they impose undue cognitive burden because they are not organic in the content itself.
DeleteMary Ann,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some excellent points about the difference in how James and Foer use associations. Maybe associations are best utilized according to the context. As you pointed out, long-term memory associations need to be meaningful and aid in understanding and future retrieval. However, the connections Foer made were meaningful to him in the story he wanted to tell. The example Foer used was how he remembered his TED talk. He developed the elaborate story that involved nude bicyclist, Britney Spears, and the cast of the Wizard of Oz. These associations worked for this talk since he probably will not need to remember this talk long- term. So, maybe James and Foer are both right. Associations are used differently depending on what needs to be remembered and for what length of time.
Well said, Karen. Perhaps both are right. Perhaps as instructors we need to be questioning what it is we are asking students to remember and which strategy is best suited to that.
Delete