During the previous class we watched a part of the movie Memento. This movie is unique in that the progression of time is shown differently than it typically is. The main character of the movie lost his ability to make new memories so he only remembers things for a few minutes. The director shows us events similar to how they are occurring for the character. The sequence of events moves backwards so at the beginning of the movie we know what happens at the end of the story while the beginning remains unknown. There are also a series of film clips shot in black and white that we don’t know where they belong in the storyline. However they do help us separate the parts in color which makes the movie make sense. Without this separation the movie would just all be jumbled together and we wouldn’t know how time is changing. We learned that every time a black and white clip was shown time was moving backwards. I predict that the last scene of the movie will be the main characters last memory that is brain has maintained. I also predict that this last memory will be the last memory of his wife.
Questions:
- I would like to ask the class what would change in your life if you had the condition that the character in the movie has and what you think would stay the same?
- My second question is, besides writing everything down, do you have any other ideas that one with this condition could use to cope with not being able to make new memories?
I would like to know how the brain stores short-term memories. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school but I really don’t remember much from it. I do remember that most of the time when your brain recalls information it changes the memory a little bit each time. I also remember that quite often when your brain is storing information if something doesn’t make sense it will alter the memory so that it does make sense. I did some research and concluded on the following ideas:
- We store sensory information being received by our brain from our eyes, ears, and nose for less than a second.
- Some of this information then gets sent to our short-term memory.
- With short term memory we can usually recall around 7 pieces of short information without rehearsal for about a minute.
- Some of our short term memories then get sent to the sensory cortex, where they were originally received, and then become long term memories.
- Long term memory can usually store larger quantities of information for a potentially unlimited amount of time.
I believe that the human brain is capable of much more than we have discovered. It is very complex and we really don't use as much of it as we should.
Sources:
Memory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory
How does human memory work? By April Holladay
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2007-03-12-memory-first_N.htm
I like your questions because it is difficult to imagine oneself in that situation. If I were to lose my short-term memory in some freak accident tomorrow, I think I would retain the annoying mindset of a teenage girl (unfortunately) and much of my personality. However, I would be severely affected knowing I have the condition: my perception on my own life would take a negative toll because I would be stuck in a perpetual present that I would never remember and I don’t like that idea. I would never be able to truly experience all of the things I look forward to in life; I would forget if it happened, and would continue waiting for it. In a way, that helps to keep the purity of experiencing it for the first time, but I relish visiting my memories.
ReplyDeleteMaking notes, whether written or auditory, seems like the most proficient way to cope with the situation, so I can’t really think of any creative alternatives. The video Adam Sandler makes for Lucy in 50 First Dates is useful, but it wouldn’t be efficient for Leonard’s condition.