Me and My Memory, 2nd ed.: Why We Forget Some Things and Remember Others

Published by Hoopoe Books

a division of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge

Copyright © 2009, 2022 by The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge

First electronic edition © 2016 by The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge

Second edition © 2022

Illustrations © 2009 by Jeff Jackson

Foreword by Robert Ornstein, Ph.D.

General Editors: Denise Nessel, Ph.D., and Robert Ornstein, Ph.D.

Content Standards Alignment by Brett Wiley, M.A., Education

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Hoopoe Books, 1702-L Meridian Ave. #266, San Jose, CA 95125, USA.

ISBN 978-1-953292-26-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Guarino, Robert, author. | Jackson, Jeff (Illustrator) illustrator.

Title: Me and my memory : why we forget some things and remember others / by Robert Guarino ; illustrations by Jeff Jackson ; Robert Ornstein.

Description: Second Edition. | San Jose : Hoopoe Books, 2022. | Series: All about me |

Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Ages 11-18 | Summary: ME AND MY MEMORY explores the mystery of our minds and memories: How do we remember, and how do we forget? It summarizes everything that scientists and researchers know about the topic, and also explores questions that have yet to be answered. The work includes engaging activities that enhance these strategies. Also included are suggested activities for teachers to use in the classroom-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022012300 (print) | LCCN 2022012301 (ebook) | ISBN 9781953292407 (paperback) | ISBN 9781953292261 (epub) | ISBN 9781953292278 (kindle edition)

Subjects: LCSH: Memory--Juvenile literature. | Memory--Study and teaching--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC BF21 .G83 2022 (print) | LCC BF21 (ebook) | DDC 153.1/2--dc23/eng/20220506

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022012300

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022012301

Foreword: Open During Remodeling

Complicated Process of Memory: The Decider at Work

Introducing: The Cast

The Decider and Experiences Bots

Fact Bots

Procedural Bots

1 Introduction

2 What Kinds of Memory Do We Have?

3 How Does Memory Work?

The Memory Cycle

Memory as a Change Resulting from Experience

Memory as a Construction

Memory as a Cultural System

Applying the Metaphors for Memory

4 Some Key Principles of Memory

Association

Chunking and Coding

The Importance of Context

Interference with Memory

Memory and Importance

5 False Memory

6 Memory, the Brain, and Loss of Memory

7 Traumatic Memories and Healing Narratives

8 Powerful Memories

9 Improving Memory

Summary

Additional Classroom Activities

Glossary of Terms

References

Education Standards Covered by this Book*:

APA National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

College Board Advanced Placement Psychology Framework

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Keywords

*The All About Me books are also aligned with Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects; WIDA Protocol for Review of Instructional Materials for ELLs/WIDA PRIME Correlation. Please see details on the Hoopoe Books website: www.hoopoebooks.com.

Now that’s a sign you don’t see very often, and for good reason. Ask anyone who has had to live in a home while remodeling was going on in the kitchen or bathroom. Most businesses just close up shop while the place is being torn up and put back together. Remodels are messy, disruptive and downright inconvenient. But that’s exactly what’s going on in your brain!

There was once a time when all the changes that occurred around puberty were blamed on hormones. Now, we’re not letting the surge in chemicals through your body off the hook, but today scientific research reveals that a second growth spurt in the brain also contributes to the changes that occur during the teenage years. Surprisingly, the changes to a teen’s brain are similar to the growth of a baby’s brain in the first eighteen months of life. A massive spurt of new brain cells called gray matter occurs, and nerve cells called neurons make new connections. Then slowly, throughout the teenage years and into the early twenties, cells that don’t make connections are trimmed back.

Scientists speculate that this second growth spurt aids us all in adapting to the world. It seems this is the last chance in life to learn a new skill or develop a lifelong habit easily. If you take up a new skill or keep practicing at an old one, your brain will rewire itself to support these abilities at a faster rate than at any other time in your life. No wonder the teen years are such a good time to take up playing guitar or drum, or to learn to speak Chinese or Italian! On the other hand, you want to avoid getting into some bad habits because these get wired in, too, and will be harder to change later on. Now is a really good time to learn some good habits for dealing with anger, stress, and self-control. Good habits learned now really could last a lifetime.

First, you should know that the brain’s frontal lobes are responsible for self-control, judgment, organization, planning, and emotional control. These are skills many teens struggle with in middle and high school as this part of the brain matures. And, according to research conducted by Giedd at the National Institute of Mental Health using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a number of additional unexpected brain developments occur in people from ages 10 through mid-20s. This altered the previously held belief that a person’s brain was fully mature by ages 8 to 10. MRIs first revealed that the corpus callosum, the part of the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres, continues to grow until a person is in their mid-20s.

While the implications of this are not fully known, the corpus callosum has been linked to intelligence and self-awareness. Elizabeth Sowell of UCLA’s Lab of Neuro Imaging* found that the frontal lobes of the brain grow measurably between ages 10 and 12. The gray matter in the lobes then begins to shrink as unused neuron branches are pruned. Studies such as these continue at different research centers, and a more complete understanding of what this all means is around the corner.

[*Keyword Search: Elizabeth Sowell neuroimaging]

While this brain remodel has its rewards, getting through this time in your life can sometimes feel very complicated and you struggle to make sense of the world around you. Maybe you find yourself wondering why you’re suddenly so concerned about what others think. Maybe you find yourself wanting more privacy. Or maybe you’re just trying to understand why you have to learn algebra!

New questions. New school. New styles. You’re changing. Your friends are changing. But you might be able to make more sense of these changes if you have the right information.

I’m not talking about the flood of information on cable TV, radio, or the bijillion blogs and websites on the net. I’m talking about big picture information about what it means to be you: a human being. It’s information so fundamental, we often forget to teach you about it in school. For example: what psychologists know about how we see, think, and feel; how these abilities work, how they change, grow or get stuck and how reliable they are as we try to make sense of ourselves, our