I have a question and I’m not sure why I can’t figure this one out myself.
I realize that what we are teaching our kids will help them later. I’m not doubting that.
I’m wondering about other memories. Personally, I have a few memories from when I was three, but I’m not sure that those weren’t stories I was told or pictures I saw. Other than that, I don’t remember much from being a young child. Will our kids remember more of their childhood since their memories will be so strong?
It would make sense that they would since they will remember the factual things. Anyone seen research on this?
Also, when can you tell that something is in long-term memory and not just short term? How long do things typically spend in short term memory?
I’m certainly no expert on this, but from what I know:
Do you mean that by doing early learning activities we make their memories ‘so strong’ and therefore they would remember more from their childhood?
If that’s what you mean, then I’m not sure the first premise is true in the first place. We certainly make them more familiar/knowledgeable in the subjects taught, and more intelligent (cos of brain stimulation), but whether or not overall memory is improved or not from, say, teaching reading, I’m not sure, unless you’re doing memory-improvement exercises.
It would make sense that they would since they will remember the factual things. Anyone seen research on this?
Yes, of course they will remember more of what they’ve been taught the more you teach it, but that’s not the same as saying that their overall memory ability has improved.
Mind you, I wouldn’t be surprised if research shows that along with the increase in IQ, memory power also increases, but I just don’t know about that.
Also, when can you tell that something is in long-term memory and not just short term? How long do things typically spend in short term memory?
According to Wikipedia:
Long-term memory (LTM) is memory that can last as little as a few days or as long as decades. It differs structurally and functionally from working memory or short-term memory, which ostensibly stores items for only around 18 seconds. Biologically, short-term memory is a temporary potentiation of neural connections that can become long-term memory through the process of rehearsal and meaningful association. Much is not known about the underlying biological mechanisms of long-term memory, but the process of long-term potentiation, which involves a physical change in the structure of neurons, has been proposed as the mechanism by which short-term memories move into long-term storage. Notably, the time scale involved at each level of memory processing remains under investigation.
As long-term memory is subject to fading in the natural forgetting process, several recalls/retrievals of memory may be needed for long-term memories to last for years, dependent also on the depth of processing. Individual retrievals can take place in increasing intervals in accordance with the principle of spaced repetition. This can happen quite naturally through reflection or deliberate recall (a.k.a. recapitulation or recollection), often dependent on the perceived importance of the material.
We were discussing this with my husband a week ago.
Horse, cat, dog, pig - I learned them very early but I don’t remember the circumstances how I learned it. It is like I always knew them. There is also no need to remember these circumstances because there is so much new information; only the important things are filtered. After 3 years, child already knows the " bulk" information, and can afford such a luxury as remembering the learning process. (this is our theory.)
And I remember from somewhere (may be it was Scott Peck " the road less travelled") that a child remembers the early childhood as something like a main sense. Happy, unhappy, being loved, being hated. It goes deep in the uncousness.
I understand that everything what happens (especially our expression of love or abuse) unfiltered hoes to uncousness and may stay here forever.