Memory Help

A couple memory-related items are in the news.

Memory-freezing tool helps fight crime:

The Scotsman (UK) reported today on a new tool developed to help crime witnesses remember more details.

SCIENTISTS at a Scottish university have developed a powerful new crimefighting tool that "freezes" the memory of crime scenes in the minds of potential witnesses, it was revealed yesterday.

The system uses a self-administered interview (SAI) form which allows witnesses to capture images and details of crime scenes and perpetrators in their minds - particularly small and seemingly insignificant details that could turn out to be crucial in solving cases.

Tests have shown that witnesses using the form were 42 per cent more accurate than other witnesses who were simply asked to report as much as they could remember.

I hope these scientists share their new form with our law enforcement agencies.

Cramming works if you sleep before the test:

The Hartford Courant reported Tuesday on a new study on memorization.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston asked 48 subjects to learn a list of 20 pairs of words and then tested them 12 hours later on their recall of the pairs. Some subjects were taught the words at 9 a.m. while others learned the words at 9 p.m. and then went to sleep.

The results were a wake-up call for all-night exam crammers: Subjects in the sleep group remembered 12 percent more words from the list than subjects who learned the words at 9 a.m.

Half of both groups also were asked to learn a second list of words just before testing, to study the effect of distracting information on recall. Yet again, subjects in the sleep group did better, recalling 44 percent more words than subjects in the nonsleep group.

OK. This is not new. When I was getting my Psychology degree (2001 - 2002), my professor for Adulthood and Aging and also for Psychological Testing told us all kinds of good research on memory and studying. In addition to getting sleep, other research has shown that you'll remember better if you quit studying for a short time immediately before bed. For some reason, the break helps with retention.

The other thing she told us was that people learn better when the air they breathe is cold. So she'd come into the classroom about half an hour before class and crank down the air conditioning. We learned after the first week to wear a coat or heavy sweatshirt to class when Shirley was our professor. A light jacket or sweater wouldn't do.

So there you have it. Now get some sleep before you forget...