I will be speaking at the British Science Festival this year on ‘Working Memory: The New IQ’ and thought I would give you a little preview of some of the topics that I will cover:
*The Genetics of Working Memory
What makes Gordon Ramsay, chef extraordinaire and owner of multiple restaurants around the globe, so successful, while his brother ended up in a jail for drug dealing and then homeless on the streets of London? Is Gordon Ramsay’s success in life related to his working memory? Do the genes we inherit play a role? Identical twins have identical genes, whereas fraternal twins share about half their genes. I have conducted one of the few scientific studies on identical and fraternal twins to understand the role of family in determining our working memory.
*The Spiral of Working Memory
It may come as a surprise to find out that working memory is linked to clenched fists and uncontrollable rage. In fact, boys with poor working memory are at greater risk of physical aggression and juvenile delinquency. I am working with juvenile delinquents and we will learn how their poor working memory led them down an increasingly dangerous path of crime. Evidence from my research demonstrates this spiral effect: young boys with poor working memory make criminal choices which damage their working memory (e.g., through alcohol, drugs, etc), which lead to worse decisions and more extreme criminal behavior.
* Tyranny of Technology?
With our ever-increasing reliance on word processing to help us write grammatically correct sentences, Blackberries to remind us of our appointments, speed-dial so we don’t have to remember the phone numbers, a universe of information available with a few keystrokes, are we impairing our working memory? What is the trade-off: what we do give up when we rely on new technology? Do Twitter-driven brevity and YouTube clips reduce our ability to engage in everyday life? In fact, technology can dramatically improve our working memory. There have been an influx of computer games and programs that promise to train your working memory muscle to Olympian proportions. But do they deliver? We have devised the world’s first working memory game that is clinically proven to improve grades for students as well as IQ. We look at the science behind different programs to find out what works and what doesn’t.
*The Twilight of Working Memory
Most of us worry about losing our memory as we grow old. I know I do. Will I forget significant events, meaningful relationships, even or how to perform simple daily activities? Understanding what we can do to train our working memory can have a tremendous impact in preventing memory loss and delay the signs of dementia.
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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.
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I work for a medium-size company and I try to greet everyone with their name when I arrive at the office or when I leave in the afternoon. Some days I have noticed that I really struggle to recall some people’s names. It is even harder to remember when I haven’t seen a person for a long time. It feels like I’m running a list through my mind, trying to locate the name that fits with the face that I know. Do you have some tips on how I can maybe work or improve on recalling a name that is stored in my memory? Why does it take longer to remember names on some days than on others? Benjamin
If you have known your employees’ for a while, matching a name to a face in your company won’t be difficult. This is because your their names are stored in your long-term memory. The process of remembering their names has now become automatic–like your journey to work. You know it so well that you can focus on other things such as talking on the phone, listening to the radio, mentally preparing for the day ahead, all without getting lost on your way to work. Every so often, we need a little extra effort to do something that is automatic. For example, if you had to stop by the store on your way to work, you may have to spend more time focusing on your driving because it is different from your usual route.
The same thing happens with remembering names. You may already know everyone’s names but on some days you may have more on your mind than usual. This can make it difficult to remember someone’s name. Here is where working memory comes in: you will have to keep someone’s face in mind while flipping through a mental list of names.
You can train yourself to remember names faster by repeating the names and mentally visualizing their face while you are doing something else. Start with an activity that doesn’t require a lot of mental effort: mow the lawn or tidy up while reciting the names and thinking of their face. Make it harder: do a crossword puzzle or play sudoko and say the names while picturing their face.
Do you have a tip to help Benjamin? Leave a comment with your ideas.
