Forget what you know about memory

There are many reasons why children fall behind at school. In this talk I will discuss how problems with short-term memory are often mistaken for problems paying attention and explain how memory problems impact on classroom learning. I will also discuss the importance of moving away from labelling children to understanding why they are struggling.

How come we sometimes forget what we really would like to remember, we remember what we desperately try to forget and sometimes even remember what has never happened, at least not in the way we remember it? To address these questions I will explore the neural and psychological basis of how long-term memory works, which challenges the popular view of a ‘filing cabinet’ filled with individual memory folders. I will examine different strategies to improve memory and discuss how our prior knowledge can enhance learning of new information throughout life.

We are commonly concerned about losing mnemonic faculties with aging and are afraid of becoming amnesic as a result of dementia or Alzheimer disease. From this standpoint, forgetting is seen as an unfortunate happening caused by failures in retention and pathologies, or in normal cases, by the passage of time. However, neuroscientists are unearthing active processes in the brain that trim our life memories, with beneficial consequences for mental performance and wellbeing. Some of these mechanisms can be triggered at will, by controlling the content of our awareness.

As part of the Creative Reactions project, these artists will be presenting their artwork inspired by the research of speakers in this talk series. The artwork will also be on display at our Creative Reactions Exhibition at St Barnabas Church, 24 - 25 May.