Make the most of your built-in computer
Learning Brain
Memory Process: How Do We Store and Retrieve Our Memories?
The Memory Process consists of encoding, storage and retrieval. In this post, we look at the storage and retrieval process.
Read More
Memory Process: How Do We Encode Our Memories?
Have you ever moved house or transferred your possessions to storage? What does it involve? The memory process (also called the anatomy of a memory) can be explained by taking the example of moving house-hold inventory to long-term storage.
This post looks at what encoding a memory is and explores strategies for effective encoding.
Read More
Long-Term Memory: What is that Elephantine Memory?
Long-term memory involves actual physical changes made to the brain and is virtually limitless. So how does one go about acquiring an elephantine memory? What are the secrets of long-term memory?
Read More
The Truth about Short-Term Memory
Have you see Memento where Guy Pearce has difficulties creating new long-term memories? What that means is that he only has his short-term memory working for him. Think of short-term memory as a temporary holding place for your memories.
Read More
Types of Memory: Importance of Sensory Memory
I have a tough time remembering names even though I can easily remember faces, events, ideas and concepts. Does that mean I have poor memory? The answer to that is not so straightforward. In this post, I shall explore sensory memory and why that is so important.
Read More
What every Brain Owner should know about their Memory
Our brain is not so different from a computer after all. Here’s a closer look at the similarities between our memory and that of a computer.
Read More
Does your brain support multi-tasking?
Everyone knows that multi-tasking means doing more than one task at the same time. Let’s face it, all of us multi-task fairly regularly. But did you know that there are different kinds of multi-tasking?
Neuroscientists are beginning to accumulate plenty of research findings that indicate the second kind of multi-tasking is not conducive to optimum brain function. What are their conclusions?
Read More
Reflection Improves Learning
Earlier this morning I was watching a lecture on positive psychology by former Harvard professor Tal Ben-Sahar. During each day of the class Sahar allocated two or so minutes of complete silence. This is all done in the name of embracing stillness and introspection, a practice that Sahar finds extraordinarily important in improving one’s health and well-being.
Within the lecture he cites a study done by MIT Professors David Foster and Matthew Wilson, one which Sahar found rather convincing regarding the importance of reflection in our everyday lives and specifically its effects on our cognitive abilities.
Read More
The Brain’s Capacity to Direct Attention
The brain functions like a smartphone – filled with applications many of which can multi-task. Different parts of the brain and different neural circuits are employed by the brain to perform different functions. What happens when one function hinders the performance of another function? In the iPhone example, what happens when you are listening to a song and a call comes through. The iPhone decides to suspend playing the song and gives your incoming call preference.
Similar to the iPhone, we need to set up processes in place (consciously or sub-consciously) that will help us manage the conflicts in the brain.
Read More
7 Implications of brain plasticity
Have you seen those sci-fi movies and TV serials where highly advanced robots are designed to tweak, re-engineer and maintain themselves constantly? Our brains do that every day and we take all of that for granted. Knowledge of brain plasticity has profound implications in human learning and behavior, and mental health.
Read More
Related Video Links organised by Topic
Improve your Brain Function by sleeping better
