A. Gautam
For the past 2,000 years, scientists and philosophers have been trying to figure out how human memory works. Important discoveries are made all the time. In 2016, British scientists discovered a protein that plays an important part in the formation and loss of memory. Research explains how memory is made.
There are three steps to creating a memory. The first step is called encoding. It happens when a person notices an event or information, and the brain actively perceives the senses as well as the feeling. For example, try to recall your first camping. The memory of that event is formed by the sight, the hearing, and the sense of smell. You may remember the crunch of the leaves, the bird calls in the morning, and the smell of grill and campfire. If you give meaning to what the senses tell you, you are forming the memory by semantic encoding.
The second step is called storage. These bits and pieces of information are stored in different areas of the brain. The nerve cells in your brain pass signals to each other and build temporary or long-lasting connections. Neuroscientists believe that the connections, in turn, make memory. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term.
Short-term memory is a scratchpad for the brain. Here, the brain stores information temporarily. While some information is dismissed, other information is transferred to long-term memory. For example, your brain remembers to go to the school nurse if you have made an appointment, but it will dismiss the detail after you have seen the nurse. Your brain holds on to memory of how to ride a bike or the first loss of a pet. Both short-term and long-term memory get weaker with age because the cells that make connections lose. However, it is possible to give the connections strength by exercising your brain.
The third step to creating a memory is recall. In other words, the final step in creating a memory is retrieving it. In order to recall the memory, your brain revisits the connection when the memory was formed. The more often the memory is recalled, the stronger the connection becomes. This is the step that students are most concerned with. Reviewing notes or using flashcards best help recall information.
Now that you have learned about what the brain does to form memory, let’s see what you can do to improve memory. A good night’s sleep helps your brain recall better. Naps count as well. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain. Research shows that aerobic exercise, like running, improves memory. Eating well is also crucial to improving memory.
Read this sentence from paragraph 4.
Short-term memory is a scratchpad for the brain.
How does the author’s description impact the meaning of the paragraph?
Responses
A It explains how to best strengthen short-term memory. It explains how to best strengthen short-term memory.
B It emphasizes the idea that short-term memory has small space. It emphasizes the idea that short-term memory has small space.
C It emphasizes how the short-term memory is temporary. It emphasizes how the short-term memory is temporary.
D It contrasts the function of short-term versus long-term memory.
1 answer
C It emphasizes how the short-term memory is temporary.
The author describes short-term memory as a "scratchpad," which reinforces the idea that it is a place for temporary information storage, likening it to a notepad that can only hold information for a short time before it is either discarded or transferred to long-term memory.
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