Human memory

It may not really be philosophy but, how does your memory work? How is your brain able to keep information and bring it back up?

I took a psychology class once and we studied memory and did little experiments and all that, but I remember talking about one particular experiment some people did. What they did was, they trained an earthworm to do something or avoid something until it always performed that action when they wanted it to, then they cut it in half and when it grew back both sides remember to do that action meaning that memory lives throughout the body not just the brain like most people would think...i thought that was neat

training earthworms? lol... but do earthworms even have brains?

Ask Pickle, she's the expert on this now.

I AM (unless I fail my report, then I talk bollocks)! OK SO HERE IT GOES

When you hear/read something it enters your sensor registery. From there the brain determines which part of the memory it goes to, long term or short term depending on how useful the information is. Most information is discared and forgotten. Stuff in your short-term memory can be remembered for a few minutes, while stuff in your long term memory can be remembered for as long as it's needed.

Like if you're read a list of words and you're asked to remember the words and recall them(the experiment I had to do for my report), they enter your sensor registery then goes into your short term memory. You're most likely to remember the first items and last items best because the last items are the most recent to enter your brain, and the first because well I forgot why! I'll edit this when I get home and fix it up so it makes more sense and has the correct crap.

I took a psychology class once and we studied memory and did little experiments and all that, but I remember talking about one particular experiment some people did. What they did was, they trained an earthworm to do something or avoid something until it always performed that action when they wanted it to, then they cut it in half and when it grew back both sides remember to do that action meaning that memory lives throughout the body not just the brain like most people would think...i thought that was neat
Are you kidding me? That makes entirely no sense at all.

Perhaps he's referring to muscle memory, though i think those impulses are still stored in the brain, aren't they?

3 types of memory/storage bin:

sensory - staring at an object however long, afterwards, 2-3 sec, and memory is gone, Unless:
short-term - memorize to remember in short time, it will last 5-10 mins, Unless:
long-term - repeat, condition, or something eventful or traumatic, etc, will depend how many years it will last.

I think the rest is self-explanatory, at least if you ever opened the 2nd page of Psych book in High School.

Muscle memory:

http://www.simlog.com/muscle-memory.html

That worm experiment sounds more like Pavlov's conditioned reflex than any functions of memory.

http://www.ivanpavlov.com/

"Some species of earthworms have a tongue-like lobe above the mouth called prostomium. The prostomium is actually a sensory device. Earthworms do not have a nose, eyes, ears, or hands to gather sensory information about their environment. Instead, they depend on their prostomium and sensory receptors in their skin to "feel" their way through the soil."

Yup disected them plenty, no eyes and ears.

Amazing what a little search engine is able to provide.

Are you kidding me? That makes entirely no sense at all.


hey it was an introductory pysch class i took 4 yrs ago..i just remember parts of that experiment..i think it was an experiment in muscle memory ..i just thought it was cool..experiments rock! :icon16:

hey it was an introductory pysch class i took 4 yrs ago..i just remember parts of that experiment..i think it was an experiment in muscle memory ..i just thought it was cool..experiments rock! :icon16:
This experiment uses 'flatworms' not earthworms. A flatworm is a very primitive form of animal life, (more so than an earthworm) and it just proves the decentralised nature of the flatworms nervous system.

BTW if you cut an earthworm in half, you will end up with a dead earthworm.

I AM (unless I fail my report, then I talk bollocks)! OK SO HERE IT GOES

When you hear/read something it enters your sensor registery. From there the brain determines which part of the memory it goes to, long term or short term depending on how useful the information is. Most information is discared and forgotten. Stuff in your short-term memory can be remembered for a few minutes, while stuff in your long term memory can be remembered for as long as it's needed.

.

Very interesting.

When you hear/read something it enters your sensor registery. From there the brain determines which part of the memory it goes to, long term or short term depending on how useful the information is. Most information is discared and forgotten. Stuff in your short-term memory can be remembered for a few minutes, while stuff in your long term memory can be remembered for as long as it's needed.

Why is it that I can remember nude girls , stupid dumb jokes , year make and modle of my mothers old car from when I was 5 years old (1969 dodge dart ,318/auto with dual exhaust and glasspacks) but when I studdy for a test (don`t matter for what) I can`t remember squat :confused: ?

I`m not being a jerk I realy wanna know .

Thanks.

Notes taken from Psychology:

II. Memory
A) Information processing
1)Sensory Memory- 1 second
Attention
Visual Dominance
Induced Motion
2)Working Memory(short-term)
20seconds----->Decay
Capacity- 7 +/- 2 items Interference
Chunking together
3)Long Term- Depth of Processing/Alikeness
a)rehearsal
1)Maintanence- Repeating
2)Elaborative- Make a connection
b)Types
1)Episodic- You were there/rememberances
2)Semantic- Information and strategies
3)Procedure- How to....
c)Interference
1)Retroactive
Old<----New
2)Proactive
Old---->New
B)Constructive Memory
1)Leveling- "Unimportant" info left out
2)Assimilation-Fit your ideas and beliefs
3)Sharpening- "Important" info added/exaggerated
C)Dependant Memories
1)State- Conciousness at time is best way to remember later
2)Context- Situation/Place- Memories from past
3)Mood- Emotion