Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Just remember this … retaining information remains a challenge in today’s society

Thanks for the memory.

Without it, where would the world be? Still reinventing the wheel, rediscovering fire and betting on the Mets.

But with brain cells that number in the trillions, people have the potential to be able to retain limitless amounts of information and play "Jeopardy!"

So why is it so difficult, at times, to recall a name or a phone number that is on the tip of your tongue?

"That is called the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon," said Suparna Rajaram, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New York at Stony Brook, who is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on memory.

Rajaram said the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon has been reasonably well-studied.

"It is real," she said. "You resolve (it) with cues, such as using the sound of words (phonetics, to help you recall)."

Rajaram has made memory her life's work.

"The fascinating thing about memory is, it underlies everything we do, how successful we are in the work we do," she said. "It underlies relationships and how people remember history. It is such a fundamental function. We take it so much for granted that we don't realize it's working for us."

Today memory is on the mind of America's aging population of Baby Boomers, who are experiencing what has popularly become known as "senior moments" -- short-term memory losses.

Where are those car keys? I had them in my hand when I took out the trash.

"Memory declines with age," Rajaram said, "so (Baby Boomers) are much more interested (in memory) now."

Forgetfulness should not be confused with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

"The kind of memory loss associated with aging should be differentiated from dementia, a deterioration of the brain, and Alzheimer's, which is a specific form of dementia," Rajaram said. "In Alzheimer's the kind of (brain) deterioration is a very specific pattern ... with dementia, you don't see the pattern. It is more generalized."

Rajaram tells Baby Boomers and older people not to panic when they start having senior moments, which may be caused by a number of things.

"As you get older it is more and more difficult to remember because you have more to remember," she said.

Rajaram said children who seem to have such good memories have that characteristic because they have relatively few things to remember.

"A 5-year-old will remember something from a year ago that was such an insignificant event that you are amazed they can remember it when you, as an adult, can't," she said.

That happens because the adult has so many things in his or her memory bank.

"The universal principle is called 'proactive interference,' " Rajaram said. "Basically, the more you learn, the more you have to store and the more difficult it gets to pull out one piece of information. What you learn now interferes with what you learn next. Kids don't have that much stored."

Plus, there are those "senior moments."

"There is some decline (in memory) as you age -- you lose brain cells, just like your body is not as agile anymore. But (forgetfulness is) a combination of these two things (aging and lots of stored information)."

Forget about it

Counselor Karen Huffer, a near-Baby Boomer, doesn't buy into the senior moments theory.

"I have a different theory," said Huffer, who works for the Clark County School District and has a private practice. "As we get older, we tend to get lazier."

Memory is an important part of Huffer's profession, but she says she doesn't use any special techniques to remember things.

"Good memory comes from the quality of the listening," she said. "When you find people who say they have a bad memory they are really saying they have a poor ability to listen. By quality listening and graphically envisioning what the client is talking about, it is easy for me to remember."

She said there are too many distractions today, which reduces the quality of listening.

"It is hard to give that quality attention that is needed," Huffer said. "We have call waiting, the television is on, there are a variety of things going on. There are so many things that people are being distracted with.

"The quality of attention from one human to another is where the problem lies."

She says she has clients in their 80s and 90s who have sharp memories.

Long and short of it

Short-term and long-term are two broad categories of memory -- things we can or cannot remember from the recent and distant past.

Rajaram said there are two major types of memory within those categories -- explicit (in which you consciously try to remember something) and implicit.

"Explicit memory declines visibly with aging," she said. "But implicit memory -- in which we are not aware we are using information that we have stored (in our brains), this kind of memory remains reasonably intact, even with aging."

Memory and intelligence are two separate things, but closely related.

"Memory contributes greatly to intelligence, but someone losing their memory (an amnesiac) would not lose their intelligence," Rajaram said. "Day-to-day high-level functions are greatly compromised by memory loss ... but basic intelligence, the ability to reason, to use logic, is not compromised."

While there is more information in today's world of technology than there was a couple of generations ago, there are also more tools to help people remember.

"Our forefathers had fewer methods to record their memories," Rajaram said. "Now we have computers that keep track of things, voice mail, Palm Pilots. There are so many memory aids, the challenge is how to use them. Now we have to remember where we stored something."

Palm Pilots

There may be Palm Pilots, but so far there is no "smart pill" -- something a person can take that will improve their memory.

"You don't ever want to say this could never happen, but happen tomorrow? I don't think so," Rajaram said. "There is some research going on ... (but so far there is) no pill that one can take to enhance memory, although there are things that one can take to feel sharp and alert -- caffine for example. For a while people feel alert and active and can focus."

There are also drugs on the market that are effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

"While he (the patient) doesn't get better, he doesn't get worse as quickly," Rajaram said. "You and I cannot benefit from the drugs. The drug slows down cell loss that is associated with memory loss, it doesn't enhance memory."

The Memory Trainer

One of the more popular systems of memory enhancement is mnemonics, which helps a person remember by relating the new information to something familiar. Creating a rhyme is one mnemonics system: "Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November; all the rest have thirty-one, excepting February alone: which hath but twenty-eight, in fine, till leap year gives it twenty-nine."

"Any basic psychology text will list some of the mnemonic devices," Rajaram said. "Fundamentally you develop associations, things you clearly remember and know, and develop a principled way of attaching the new information to the known."

Jon Keith, 47, has been teaching mnemonic techniques for more than 25 years for fun and profit. Keith said music may play a role in developing memory.

Right volume

"Not just the kind (of music), but the volume," he said. "Having music on not too loud or too soft and enhances your brain.

"And another thing is the environment. You have to be in an environment you like (to aid in memory). If you hate a room because it's a certain color, it may annoy you and make it harder to learn."

Keith said a person's ability to retain information can be effected by his or her lifestyle.

"Your biorhythm also is important. Are you a morning person or a night person? If you are a night person then it will be difficult to learn things in the morning."

In the late 1980s and early '90s, Keith performed his memory magic at a number of conventions in Las Vegas, where he taught casino personnel how to remember the names of customer -- an effective way of impressing them and convincing them to return.

Keith resides in Florida, where he writes books about memory techniques and coordinates seminars that he gives around the world.

Good business

"Memory is a very good business," he said.

Among his best customers are business executives, who see the value in being able to recall names. One of his most popular books, written 10 years ago, was "Executive Memory Techniques."

His most recent book is "Everyday Memory Builder" (Berkeley Books).

"It's all about confidence building," Keith said, "not about remembering every single thing.

"When people can remember things they feel good about themselves and their productivity goes up and their attitudes change."

Keith said in the past he was often at odds with psychologists, who called his techniques "artificial memory."

"But recently, they have kind of changed their minds," he said. "They realize the mind is a muscle."

Keith is similar to a personal trainer for the brain. His exercises are based on associations and intensive visualizations.

He has demonstrated his techniques on a number television programs, including "The Howie Mandel Show," using his methods to remember the names of entire audiences.

"I don't have a photographic memory," Keith said. "It is a trained skill. I associate names and faces in way that it will stick. I use the technique every day. I'm not a machine, I'm not a memory mule, but if you introduce me to the audience I will remember their names.

"The entertainment is the hook. I do the demonstrations, but my important point is that you can improve your memory through training -- that's the key factor."

Keith taught high school science for a couple of years in New Jersey, but his fascination with memory took him in a different direction.

"To use your memory more efficiently, you need a system of memory," he said. "You need a kick in the brain, a system of reminders you learn. Everyone uses techniques unconsciously. The techniques are easily learned, but you have to put effort into it. It's not magic. It's not a magic bullet, but it helps tremendously."

Keith said it is never too late to improve memory, regardless of age, and no one needs to worry about filling up his or her brain.

"You have unlimited memory," he said. "If you stay on earth for 300 years, you are not going to fill up your brain, so have fun with it."

Right.

Now, where are those car keys?

Jerry Fink is an Accent feature writer. Reach him at 259-4058 or jerry@ lasvegassun.com.

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