Brenden O’Fallon
Kozak
12-11-12
Isearch part 4
Memory
The idea of memory and how much we can remember is a very interesting topic that
surprisingly has a large amount of information about it. Even before I did research I knew things
already about the topic like we have a limit to what we can remember. I read about it and humans
can hold about 2.5 petabytes of information/ about 1 million gigabytes. Of course in a normal
human life it is inconceivable to use up all of this space, but if we had a 300 year life span this
could be much different. "In visualization you attach a vivid image to a word or idea to help you
remember it"(Wadsley) Wadsley covers memory loss and how you remember in her article
“Memory Loss”. The article also suggest to play games such as Brain Age, because it increases
brain power. All too often, our memory can fail us. We all forget important facts from time to
time, but in the most serious forms of amnesia people may have no concept of their recent past
whatsoever. Understanding memory failings can help researchers work out how we form and
retain memories (Foster). Of course our memory cannot be perfect; it can have many problems
retaining a memory. Getting the correct amount of sleep can actually help prevent these
problems. Paying better attention will also help you remember important things, because if you
are not paying attention then you are less likely to store memory. Amnesia is one of the many
disorders that can affect the brain’s memory, amnesia is caused by injury to the brain in specific
locations which can cause memory loss in almost anybody. “It was an email that memory
researcher James McGaugh found hard to believe. The sender, a 34-year-old housewife named
Jill Price, was claiming that she could recall key events on any date back to when she was about
12, as well as what she herself had done each day. “Some people call me the human calendar,"
she wrote, "while others run out of the room in fear. But the one reaction I get from everyone
who finds out about this 'gift' is amazement. I run my entire life through my head every day and
it drives me crazy!"(Sukel). Sukel studied a very odd case where a 34 year old woman could
remember a unbelievable amount, most people cannot do this but instead remember very small
things about the past. It’s almost like her brain had been storing every memory instead of just the
important ones. People who have this amazing marvel of the brain see it as a gift and would not
get rid of it if they could.
Memory is one amazing thing and it requires care to be used correctly, because of
memory we can remember important things that we may need to know for a different day. In
special cases a person may be able to remember more than just the important things in life, and
some people can barely remember anything for one reason or another. I have learned a lot more
than I thought I would about memory through my research that I did, because of this my
knowledge on memory has expanded by a lot. Just as long as I can remember it tomorrow.
Works Cited
Wadsley, Patricia. "Memory Loss." Momentum Mar.-Apr. 2010: 38-41. EBSCOhost. Web. 3
Dec. 2012.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=12&sid=6ae6362c-b9ff-4420-
9dadfd2d4de59216%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&AN=
48155362
Foster, Helen. "That Makes You Forget." Good Health Sept. 2012: 76-78. EBSCOhost. Web. 3
Dec. 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=12&sid=3b76b25a-0a62-424f89be7c54596ae082%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&
AN=7831784 .
Eagleman, David. "Secret Life of the Mind." Discover Sept. 2011: 50-53. EBSCOhost. Web. 3
Dec. 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=9&hid=12&sid=6ae6362c-b9ff-44209dad-
fd2d4de59216%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=
64395267 .
Hurley, Dan. "Where Memory Lives." Discover Apr. 2012: 30-37. EBSCOhost. Web. 3 Dec.
2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=122&sid=6ae6362c-b9ff-4420-9dadfd2d4de59216%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=
73162801
Luo, Lin, and Fergus Craik. "Aging and Memory: A Cognitive Approach." Canadian Journal of
Pshychiatry 53.6 (2008): 346-53. EBSCOhost. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=11&sid=6ae6362c-b9ff-4420-9dadfd2d4de59216%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&AN=
32735356
Foster, Jonathon. "Memory." New Scientist 3 Dec. 2011: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=11&sid=6ae6362c-b9ff-4420-9dadfd2d4de59216%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=
69611567
Sukel, Kayt. "The Amazing Memory Marvels." New Scientist 18 Aug. 2010: 34-37.
EBSCOhost. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=d7298b4b-85f24fc1-a6e9253da29058e9%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3
d#db=f5h&AN=78943473 .
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