24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Memory Is a Party
Using the metaphor of a party whose “guests” include the different components of the complex interactions that make up memory, Professor Joordens introduces you to several kinds of memory—including episodic, semantic, and procedural—to arrive at an initial understanding of the variety of processes at work in human “memory.”
1.
Memory Is a Party
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13.
Animal Cognition and Memory
Does an elephant really never forget? Expand your study of memory to investigate the extent to which the mysterious abilities of humans may also exist in animals and, if so, how they might differ from our own.
13.
Animal Cognition and Memory
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2.
The Ancient “Art of Memory”
Techniques to embed and retrieve memories more easily—so-called mnemonic strategies—date back at least to classical Greece. See how one such technique—the Method of Loci—can help improve the episodic memory you depend on to recall a group of items such as grocery or to-do lists.
2.
The Ancient “Art of Memory”
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14.
Mapping Memory in the Brain
Almost two decades since its revolutionary appearance, fMRI—functional magnetic resonance imaging—is allowing researchers to watch the living human brain at work, with no harm or discomfort to the subject. Explore what happens in several areas of the brain as memories are created or retrieved.
14.
Mapping Memory in the Brain
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3.
Rote Memorization and a Science of Forgetting
Is a mnemonic strategy always the most useful? Examine rote memorization and how it differs from mnemonics. Also, get an introduction to the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, whose 19th-century experiments in remembering and forgetting marked the first scientific examination of memory.
3.
Rote Memorization and a Science of Forgetting
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15.
Neural Network Models
Can computer models mimic the operations of the human brain? Examine the use of neural network modeling, in which biologically inspired models posited by researchers in cognitive neuroscience are advancing our understanding of just how those operations take place.
15.
Neural Network Models
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4.
Sensory Memory—Brief Traces of the Past
Begin a deeper discussion of the different kinds of memory, beginning with sensory memory and how its brief retentive power lets you switch from one stimulus to another—and even gives you your sense of “the present moment.” Here, the focus is on iconic (or visual) memory and its auditory counterpart, echoic memory.
4.
Sensory Memory—Brief Traces of the Past
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16.
Learning from Brain Damage and Amnesias
Leave the world of computers for that of neuropsychology as you focus on the life situations of several patients who have suffered some form of brain injury. You learn how damage to different areas of the brain can have dramatically different impacts on memory and how these patients experience the world.
16.
Learning from Brain Damage and Amnesias
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5.
The Conveyor Belt of Working Memory
Plunge into the mental processes that allow you to work with information, often with the goal of solving a problem. You learn that these processes can also be used to keep information briefly “in mind,” though they require effort and are prone to interference.
5.
The Conveyor Belt of Working Memory
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17.
The Many Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease
In a lecture that explores one of our most frightening diseases from both the caregiver’s and sufferer’s perspectives, learn how Alzheimer’s progresses, how that progression may be forestalled, and ways in which technology may be able to help through the emerging field of “cognitive prosthetics.”
17.
The Many Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease
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6.
Encoding—Our Gateway into Long-Term Memory
How does information make its way from your temporary working memory into long-term memory so you can access it again when you need it? This introduction to encoding explains the process and offers useful tips for improving your own recall.
6.
Encoding—Our Gateway into Long-Term Memory
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18.
That Powerful Glow of Warm Familiarity
Why does something familiar to us actually feel that way? Discover the sources of familiarity as you are introduced to the concepts of perceptual fluency and prototypes, and explore some surprising ways that those feelings of familiarity can trump other considerations.
18.
That Powerful Glow of Warm Familiarity
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7.
Episodic and Semantic Long-Term Memory
Strengthen your grasp of how these two key memory systems function. You explore the relationship between them with analogies that range from the job requirements of London taxi drivers to the famed “holo-deck” of the Star Trek television series.
7.
Episodic and Semantic Long-Term Memory
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19.
Déjà Vu and the Illusion of Memory
Is déjà vu simply an illusion of memory? If so, can we learn more about memory by trying to understand how this common phenomenon comes about? Examine some of the theories that have been put forth to explain this uncanny experience.
19.
Déjà Vu and the Illusion of Memory
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8.
The Secret Passage—Implicit Memory
Encounter still another category of memory—a way in which your experiences can enter long-term memory without the kind of “effortful encoding” discussed earlier. You learn why this sort of memory creation is vitally important, yet also unreliable as a substitute for conscious effort.
8.
The Secret Passage—Implicit Memory
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20.
Recovered Memories or False Memories?
Is episodic memory subject to the same pitfalls as misattributed feelings of familiarity? Can we “remember” things that never took place with the same intensity and certainty as those that did? Gain new insights into what is at stake when long-forgotten “memories” resurface.
20.
Recovered Memories or False Memories?
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9.
From Procedural Memory to Habit
In this lecture, you see that your memory for procedures is useful not only in the “muscle memory” of physical skills, but also in cognitive processes. Also, learn about constructivist learning, in which the explicit structure of a procedure—which is usually taught verbally—instead is learned implicitly during exploratory practice.
9.
From Procedural Memory to Habit
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21.
Mind the Gaps! Memory as Reconstruction
Metaphors for memory usually reference information storehouses of some kind, such as library stacks or computer hard drives, from which episodic memories are “retrieved.” Learn about the extent to which we actually construct our memories anew each time we summon them and how this explains common memory errors.
21.
Mind the Gaps! Memory as Reconstruction
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10.
When Memory Systems Battle—Habits vs. Goals
What happens when implicit or procedural memories become so powerful they seize control? In this examination of the tenacity of habits, learn how and why habits are formed and what steps might be useful in changing them, or at least regaining control.
10.
When Memory Systems Battle—Habits vs. Goals
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22.
How We Choose What's Important to Remember
Does our brain always make decisions for us about which aspects of our experience to encode for later recall, or can we influence that process ourselves? Learn potentially powerful techniques for influencing the shape of future memories.
22.
How We Choose What's Important to Remember
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11.
Sleep and the Consolidation of Memories
Does sleep play a role in strengthening memories of your experiences during the day? Gain a sense of the latest research about a subject that is difficult to study as you explore the relationship between sleep and memory, including the possible link between specific sleep stages and specific kinds of memory.
11.
Sleep and the Consolidation of Memories
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23.
Aging, Memory, and Cognitive Transition
Apply a reality check to the popularly held belief that memory naturally declines as we age. Learn what happened when a researcher corrected for the age-related variables long-ignored by traditional testers—and what conclusions we can draw about what lies ahead for us as we grow older.
23.
Aging, Memory, and Cognitive Transition
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12.
Infant and Early Childhood Memory
How does the maturation of memory fit into a child’s overall brain development? Gain invaluable and surprising insights into the month-by-month and year-by-year development of a child’s capacity for memory, beginning in the womb and continuing on with its dramatic development after entry into the world.
12.
Infant and Early Childhood Memory
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24.
The Monster at the End of the Book
Contemplate the significance of what you’ve learned, with special attention to the common question of whether you can improve your episodic memory—remembering what you want to recall, forgetting what you’d rather not, and making choices about how to achieve a balance.
24.
The Monster at the End of the Book
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6
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Your Amazing Prehistoric Memory
Discover how remarkable your memory ability can be and get an introduction to some of the fascinating ways you can transform your average memory into an excellent one. After a quick memory test to set the stage, Professor Vishton introduces you to one of the most basic ways your memory can encode information: the Major System. With this strategy, you’ll learn how to encode numbers into words and then into distinct images that can help you recall the numerical information whenever you like. You’ll also explore the prehistoric roots of why we think the way we do.
1.
Your Amazing Prehistoric Memory
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4.
Why and When We Forget
Forgetting happens to the best of us—but it can be mitigated through the use of several key techniques. Among the topics you’ll investigate are the “Ebbinghaus forgetting function,” which offers insights into the relationship between time, amount of studying, and the likelihood of memory recall; the most effective way to remember a new set of information (hint: it doesn’t involve cramming); and how to access that pesky piece of information that’s “on the tip of your tongue.”
4.
Why and When We Forget
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2.
Encoding Information with Images
Focus on one of the simplest tricks for memorizing information: the Method of Loci. Like the Major System, this strategy encodes information into a format your brain is especially good at using; in this case, it ties information to a physical location. Gain familiarity with this method through several engaging exercises. Also, peek inside the mind of mental athletes to see how their seemingly superhuman feats of memory are rooted in nothing more than innate brain power we all have.
2.
Encoding Information with Images
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5.
Keeping Your Whole Brain in Peak Condition
To have a good memory that functions at the peak of its powers, you need to keep your entire brain healthy. Professor Vishton shows you how to do just that. You’ll learn how not just a part of your brain, but the entire organ, is involved in remembering things. You’ll also investigate the science behind studies of exercise, sleep, and nutrition—and the curious ways that a balanced diet, daily activity, and a good night’s sleep relate to optimal mental functioning.
5.
Keeping Your Whole Brain in Peak Condition
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3.
Maximizing Short- and Long-Term Memory
In this insightful lecture, Professor Vishton walks you through the three steps of successful memory: a perception to short-term memory, encoding short-term memory to your long-term memory, and retrieving information from your long-term memory. In addition, you’ll explore how amnesia and other hippocampus-related damages can disrupt this normal memory process; you’ll examine some intriguing ways (such as “chunking”) to get around the limitations of your short-term memory; and much more.
3.
Maximizing Short- and Long-Term Memory
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6.
Human Memory Is Reconstruction, Not Replay
Why should you bother enhancing your memory when there are computers that can do it for you? In what ways is information stored on a computer different from information stored in the recesses of your brain? What are the limits of how memory functions? What are some important roles that technology can—and should—play in backing up our memories? Why are “source memories” and “flashbulb memories” so problematic, and how can you recognize them? Find the answers in this final lecture
6.
Human Memory Is Reconstruction, Not Replay
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