Can we improve our memory? – Quiz

Answer

1.  Read the text and answer the questions. 

1. According to The Learning Scientists, should you try to remember something immediately after learning it?
No, according to The Learning Scientists, you should try to remember something after you have had time to forget it.

2. What do the studies highlighted by David Robson suggest might help people’s memory?
Studies highlighted by David Robson suggest that taking time to do nothing can improve people’s memory.

3. Why do The Learning Scientists suggest changing between different subjects when studying?
Because changing between different subjects when studying can help students relate ideas to each other.

4. What technique did Jonathan Hancock suggest using to memorise information?
Hancock suggests linking pieces of information to physical locations or other memorable images.

5. What lifestyle changes are suggested as ways to improve memory?
The article mentions avoiding stress, alcohol and smoking, and getting good levels of rest and exercise.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. When you remember something you retrieve it from your memory.

2. Things you remember for a long time are stored in your long-term memory.

3. A mnemonic is a word pattern that helps you remember something.

4. Relating one idea to another means finding similarities and differences between them.

5. Many students write key information on flashcards . 

Can we improve our memory?

We’ve all been there – staring at a pile of books, desperately hoping that what we study will stick in our mind. Many of us have probably asked if there’s any way that we can get better at remembering things. So, why don’t we look at what memory experts say about this?

Every student who has made flashcards knows that it can be helpful to go back over what they’ve studied before. According to The Learning Scientists – a group of cognitive scientists – we can learn things better if we wait for some time before trying to study them again. They say that trying to retrieve something from your memory after you have had some time to forget it will make it easier to remember in future.

Similarly, David Robson, writing for BBC Future, highlights studies that show taking some time to just do nothing after studying might mean that you can remember things better afterwards. We don’t know exactly why this happens, but it has been suggested that it’s to do with the relationship between long-term and short-term memory.

Another study tip from The Learning Scientists is to change between different topics as you study. They say this can help you build links between different ideas. Now, linking ideas and relating them to each other or to images are often suggested as good ways to memorise something. Former world memory champion Jonathan Hancock highlights how picturing pieces of information in different physical locations or linking them to memorable images makes them easier to remember. Linking new information to things that are easier to remember is a technique that many people use – it could be making letter patterns into words called mnemonics, or by sorting things into categories.

There are also more general things that we can do to improve our memory. Hancock says that being generally organised makes things easier for your brain, while many other experts also recommend avoiding stress, alcohol and smoking, and that we should get a lot of rest and exercise. So, the good news to take from this is that while it may be hard, improving our memory is something we can control.