Do you have a good memory?
Here is a link to an article on my research that appeared in the Sunday Post, UK.
Posts Tagged ‘memory’
Super Memory in Autistic Savants?
Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can display amazing abilities well beyond their age, yet struggle in simple, everyday tasks. A teacher told me of a 13 year boy who loved going to the principal’s office to work on math and science exams for 17 year olds, but could not dress himself. A fascinating aspect of this polarity is the “special abilities” displayed by some autistic individuals. These abilities far exceed expectations based on their IQ, and in some cases, their special ability exceeds the level reached by experts in the same field. Special abilities are generally found in the domains of music, memorization of lists, three-dimensional drawing, reading (hyperlexia), and calendar and mental calculation.
Of interest is whether their working memory reflects their extraordinary skills. It seems that the memory profile of an autistic savant is much like an individual with ASD without special abilities. If a memory test uses material that is related to their area of expertise, then savants outperform individuals with ASD without special abilities. For example, a savant calculator has a much higher score than ASD non-experts in number-based working memory tasks. Both ASD groups perform similarly in other working memory tasks. When compared with experts, we see a similar pattern. Both savants and experts show superior memory skills compared to their peers with the same IQ level when tested using material from their area of expertise. Studies that have compared memory skills for music in savant musicians with typical musicians reveal that they demonstrate the same sensitivity and awareness of musical dimensions such as rhythm and pitch. Their similar performance in a music memory test suggests that autistic savant musicians and typical musicians use the working memory in a comparable way.
Autistic savants have built up a huge knowledge base that can be used to increase working memory performance in the area of their expertise. In some cases, their expertise and training in one area can also enhance their scores in another area. For example, calendar calculators and savant calculators can achieve phenomenal scores in memory tests using nonsense words. They are able to apply their training in remembering one type of abstract material (dates and numbers) to related things. One explanation is that dates, numbers, and nonsense words are all abstract material and we use similar mechanisms to remember information that is not connected to semantic memory. The bottom line is that autistic savants have superior memory in the area of their expertise, and in some cases in related areas. This enhanced memory performance far exceeds what is expected of their IQ levels. We see that working memory is very different from IQ.
The ‘Rain Man’ Effect: Memory in Autistic Savants
Is there a Rain Main hiding in us all? Scientists have used special technology to temporarily immobilize part of the brain in healthy adults. The volunteers showed incredible skills similar to autistic savants, such as naming the day when given a date in history (calendar calculating) and drawing abilities.
An autistic savant is someone who is autistic with a special skill, usually related to memory. For example, they might be able to draw an accurate replication of a scene or location after looking at it for just a few minutes. Another example is an amazing ability to perform complicated maths problems in their head or tell you what day it was on 25 February 1869. A child who has savant abilities would be drawing three-dimensional pictures while their friends are scribbling. They might be able put together a jigsaw puzzle that adults struggle doing, without even looking at the picture. Their exceptional memory helps them to recognize patterns in things that would take us ages to figure out.
In an odd twist of nature, autistic savants have such specialized skills because part of their brain is damaged: the left hemisphere that deals with language and processing information. This damage leads to learning disabilities and difficulty coping in everyday situations. To deal with this damage, their right side of the brain is unlocked, resulting in a ‘spotlight’ on one of the five senses. If there is a spotlight on hearing, then the autistic savant has amazing musical skills.
Can exercise make a child smarter?
In the last few years, there have been various claims in the media on how simple exercises like jumping jacks and balancing can make children smarter. In the UK, it was a matter of heated debate when a psychologist suggested that such exercise can actually improve reading skills. So is there any basis to these claims?
Well, yes and no. Let’s first look at the evidence for whether motor skills improve as a result of these exercises. If the exercise is simple like skipping, then you notice improvement in skipping skills very quickly. However, if the exercise is relatively complicated like hockey-puck shooting, then there is very little improvement, even after over 1000 practices!
What about learning? In a recent study, I asked students with learning difficulties and motor problems to take part in a 13-week exercise program. In addition to Brain Gym, they also did different balancing exercises, as well as trained their fine and gross motor skills.
You will probably not be surprised to learn that these students had better motor skills compared to the group that did not take part in this exercise program. However, these increased motor skills did not result in better reading and math scores! These students were still struggling in their academic attainments.
What does this mean? While I am certainly not discouraging exercise, this study, and a growing number like this, illustrate that it’s not enough to ask students to do some jumping jacks and skipping if we actually want to help them do better in the classroom.
Brain Exercises Boost Business Performance
I was recently asked to contribute a piece for the British Psychological Society on working memory in the workplace. Here is an excerpt:
In the workplace, we use working memory to stay focused during a meeting, to creatively solve a complex problem, to respond to questions thoughtfully, even to recall the name of an important client when we are distracted at a meeting. Those who are better at remembering and working with new information do better in business. They tend to have higher paying jobs because they are better suited to adapt to the challenges before them. Able to make clearer judgments, they can more quickly come up with appropriate solutions. They are able to make better decisions under stress and overcome frustration, and are less likely to be overwhelmed.
But what can we do actually improve our working memory? There is a lot of exciting evidence of our brain’s plasticity: that it can actually change – shrink or grow – depending on what we do. For example, there are studies that show taxi drivers brains ‘grow on the job’ as they build up detailed information they need to navigate around a city. If you want to start seeing improvements, you need to do something. Here are some top tips to unlock your working memory and better in your job
1. Crossword puzzles
Research shows that people stay sharper and more mentally focused when they pick up a pencil to do a daily crossword. Never done one before? Start with an easy one and keep challenging yourself with progressively harder ones.
2. Sudoku
Puzzles like sudoku are mini workouts for your brain: they train you to think quickly and will result in faster reaction times and memory functions in a range of daily activities.
3. Doodling
We usually associate doodling with not paying attention but in fact recent evidence suggests that doodling can help us stay on track. When we are bored, perhaps at a long meeting or dull conversation, we are more likely to daydream, which will distract us from what we need to listen to. However, doodling can stop daydreaming without affecting our listening skills, and as a bonus, we are more likely to remember the information. So get out your pencils, just don’t let anyone see you!
4. Brain training
Brain training computer games are at an early stage of development and can result in better working memory and IQ. But be cautious as the program may just be training you to perform well in the test, and not actually improve job performance. One program that has shown to make a difference in the real world is JungleMemory. This training program, endorsed by the Psychological Corporation, and targets working memory in key learning activities, such as reading and math. Pilot trials on several hundred children indicate improvements in the classroom as well. An adult version is currently in development.
