How Memory Works--and How to Make It Work for You: G1196 by Robert Madigan

Author:Robert Madigan [Madigan, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781462511556
Publisher: Guilford Publications
Published: 2015-07-12T23:00:00+00:00

The results of Spanish vocabulary tests taken by university alumni who studied Spanish as undergraduates.

What permastore memories have in common is their stability—forgetting appears to be suspended for these memories. Bahrick’s discovery of the permastore was quite unexpected. Since his groundbreaking work, additional evidence has given the concept solid support. Similar long-lasting memories have been found for mathematics knowledge, street names of childhood neighborhoods, and high school classmates.

How do facts escape forgetting and become part of the permastore? Bahrick combed through his large sample to see what student characteristics were associated with the number of memories in their permastores. Two major predictors emerged. First was the level of initial learning. Students who received an “A” in their Spanish courses often performed fifty percent better on Bahrick’s tests than students who scored a “C.” Stronger initial learning had helped move more knowledge into the permastore. The second factor was the number of Spanish courses students took. Each additional course not only taught the students new information but also provided an opportunity to practice what they had learned in previous courses—foreign language classes, unlike many academic subjects, provide opportunities for spaced retrieval practice of previously learned material. This added practice shows up in the permastore. Other settings with regular practice opportunities also show substantial permastore knowledge. One dramatic example is memory for high school classmates. Bahrick found that people could match yearbook pictures to the names of their classmates with almost ninety percent accuracy even after thirty-five years. He attributes this impressive retention to the opportunities for memory practice throughout the high school years.

Bahrick’s retention curves show that most forgetting occurs during the first several years as weaker memories drop out. He believes that once memories survive the first three to five years, they have permastore status and can be stable for decades. The take-home message from Bahrick’s extensive work is that solid initial learning coupled with spaced retrieval practice can allow new facts to get through this crucial period and become remarkably durable memories.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.