Test Your Brain Power

Memories are the cornerstone of learning and perception.  Everything we experience has the potential to be turned into a long term memory which will then affect how we perceive things in the future.  There is a basic outline for memory formation, the Information Processing Model, which shows how the information we perceive is turned into memories.

There are three memory types: Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Long-Term Memory.

Sensory Memory

Of the three types, the Sensory Memory has the shortest duration, lasting milliseconds but the highest capacity.  Every piece of information we encounter enters our Sensory Memory.  This includes everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.  This is an overwhelming amount of information.  At any given moment, your brain is receiving information from all five senses.  All of this information goes into the Sensory Memory.  There is no way to recall every piece of information our Sensory Memory processes.

Only the information we pay attention to is transferred to the Short-Term Memory, previous experience helps our brains determine what information needs attention and what can be released from the Sensory Memory.  Take a moment to think about the information your brain processed while reading the paragraph above.  Your brain was not only processing what you were reading, but also processing the sounds, tastes, smells,  textures, and sights you encountered while you were reading it.

When information we want to learn or remember enters our Sensory Memory, we  pay attention to it, which moves it into our Short-Term Memory.  A popular example used when explaining the transfer of new information is a telephone number.  When a telephone number we need enters our Sensory Memory, we pay attention to it, moving it into our Short-Term Memory.  If, however, a telephone number we don’t need (like on an ad for something you don’t want to buy) enters our Sensory Memory, we don’t pay attention to it and it is forgotten by our Sensory Memory.

Short-Term Memory

This is where we hold information we want to learn or for which we have an immediate use.  Our Short-Term Memory lasts longer than Sensory Memory - anywhere from 3 - 20 seconds.  Though it has a much longer duration, it only has a capacity of 7 pieces, compared to the unlimited capacity of the Sensory Memory.  While our Short-Term Memory can hold 7 pieces of information, it is most efficient at processing 3 pieces of information at a time.  The amount of information that can be processed by the Short-Term Memory can be increased through chunking.  this is where many pieces of information are grouped together to make chunks, each chunk then being treated as a single piece of information.  JANFEBMARAPR is perceived as 12 pieces of information that are not easily remembered.  But if they are chunked into JAN FEB MAR APR, it becomes 4 pieces of information that are much easier to remember.

What we do with the information being held in our Short-Term Memory has a direct effect on if it enters our Long-Term Memory and how well.  For information to enter the Long-Term Memory, it needs to be rehearsed.  This means that the information is repeated, reviewed, or otherwise used multiple times.  The Short-Term Memory is also where information that has been recalled from the Long-Term Memory is held.  When information is retrieved from the Long-Term Memory, it is held in the Short-Term Memory until it is used or while it is being rehearsed further.  The more times a piece of information is rehearsed, the better it will be stored in the Long-Term Memory.

If we come across a telephone number we want to use, we pay attention to it,which transfers it from our Sensory Memory to our Short-Term Memory.  Most telephone numbers around the world are broken into chunks, each chunk containing 3 - 4 digits.  Typically we will repeat the chunks that make up the phone number until we use it.  Each time we repeat the number to ourselves, it is more firmly imprinted on our Long-Term Memory.  Writing it or speaking it repeatedly further improves the Long-Term Memory of the number.  With today’s technology we usually hold onto telephone numbers in our Short-Term Memory until they are entered into phones or PDAs at which point the information is released from the Short-Term Memory and rarely makes the transition to Long-Term Memory.

Long-Term Memory

All the of the knowledge we store in our Long-Term Memory influences how we perceive the world and process the information in both the Sensory Memory and the Short-Term Memory.  Our Long-Term Memory has a wide range of duration, from days to years.  Some memories last a lifetime.  The capacity of the Long-Term Memory cannot be accurately assessed and may well be unlimited.  We process new information by using the Long-Term Memory s a framework, associating new information to information already stored.

The knowledge stored in the Long-Term Memory is organized into schemas which in turn can be interrelated.  When new information is encountered, the schemas relating to that topic are activated and relevant information is recalled.  The Long-Term Memory affects our perceptions through top-down processing, where what we know impacts how we perceive what is around us.  What we remember of previous experiences will help us anticipate what should be expected from similar experiences.  Many optical illusions are designed with this concept in mind.   The stronger the memory, the more influence it will have on our perceptions and the easier it will be to understand and learn new related information.

Using the example of the telephone number again, the constant format of the telephone numbers makes it easier to remember them.  Most telephone numbers are broken down into a region code, an exchange within that region, and a set of numbers that identifies the line within that exchange.  Typically, the codes for a given region have already been rehearsed so many times, that when we hear them as part of a new number, they are linked to the existing Long-Term Memory, making them much easier to recall.  There are more exchanges which makes i more likely to encounter new ones, but often we have committed many exchanges within our own region to our Long-Term Memory, also making them easier to recall.  This means that most of the time when we are learning a new telephone number, the portion that needs the most attention and rehearsal in the Short-Term Memory is the series of digits assigned to the specific line - usually the last 3 or 4 digits in the number.

Ten coins, numbered 1 to 10, lie in a straight line on the table.

The goal is to make five piles of 2 coins each in five moves.

Coins jump over two coins, landing on the third (1 would jump over 2 and 3 and land on 4).

Coins can jump in either direction.

Stumped?

Here’s a hint:

You need to work your way out from the middle, the first coin to jump is #4 to #1.

Here’s the solution:

4 jumps to 1

6 jumps to 9

8 jumps to 3

2 jumps to 5

10 jumps to 7

Here are some questions to warm up your brain for Quick Quiz.  Highlight below the questions for the answers.

1.  Johnny’s mother has 4 children.  The first child is April, the second is May, and the third is June.  What is the fourth child’s name?

• The fourth child’s name is Johnny.

2.  It is against the law for a man living in North Carolina to by buried in South Carolina.  Why?

• It is illegal to bury someone who is living.

3.  “The attorney is my brother,” testified the accountant.  “I don’t have a brother,” testified the attorney.  Who is lying?

• Neither - the accountant is the attorney’s sister.

4.  If you are building a house made entirely out of bricks, how many bricks does it take to complete it?

• One - no matter how many bricks are in the building, the last one completes it.

5.  An airplane crashed and every single person died and there were two survivors.  How is this possible?

• They were married, everyone else was single.

6.  How far can you walk into the woods?

• Halfway, then you are walking out.

7.  A man and his son were in an automobile accident. The man died on the way to the hospital, but the boy was rushed into surgery. The emergency room surgeon said “I can’t operate, that’s my son!” How is this possible?

• The surgeon is the boy’s mother.

8.  The rooster likes to sit alone on the roof.  On a windy day, which side of the roof does the egg roll down?

• Neither - roosters don’t lay eggs, chickens do.

9.  You are in a cold dark room and have an oil lamp, an oil heater, and a candle but only one match.  Which to you light first?

• The match.

10.  Who’s bigger: Mr. Bigger, Mrs. Bigger or their baby?

• Their baby, he’s a little Bigger.

Our brains are constantly working to make sense of the information it receieves from all of our senses.  If the information is incomplete, our brains will pull from all of our previous experience to fill in the gaps in order to make sense of the information.

Photo Source: www.scientificpsychic.com

In this image, our brains perceive a triangle even though one is not actually drawn.  The missing information is filled in using the given visual input and combining it with previous experiences of looking at triangles.

Photo Source: www.scientificpsychic.com

In this image, since the angles of the cut outs in the circles add up to more than 180°, our brains perceive the sides of the non-existent triangle as curved.

Photo Source: www.scientificpsychic.com

The misalignment of the lines in this one causes our brain to perceive a circle.

What do you see in the image below?

Photo Source: www.frenblog.com

If you see the letter E, you are not alone.  Our brains fill in the missing lines to complete the E.  Some people might also see an L or a Z.

Read the sentence in the image below out loud:

Photo Source: www.marcofolio.net

Did you say “I love Paris in the springtime?”  If so, look again.  Point to each word as you read it.  The word “the” is written twice.  Our brains gloss over this mistake because they are perceiving the sentence as a whole, not as individual pieces.  Young children just learning to read is likely to say “the” twice since their brains do not have enought experience to perceive the whole sentence yet.

Read the paragraph below, the explanation is in the “illusion.”

Source: www.marcofolio.net

Write down the four-digit number described by the following three statements.

1. The first digit is one-third of the third digit.
2. The fourth digit is two times the second digit.
3. The first digit and the third digit add up to twice the sum of the second digit and fourth digit.

Stumped?

Here’s a clue:  The first digit is a prime number.

Here’s the answer: 3,294

To keep our brains sharp we need to have a healthy diet to supply the brain with needed nutrients, be physically active  to maximize the blood flow to the brain, and we need to exercise our brains.

Great ways to exercise your brain are doing puzzles like crosswords and sudoku, studying optical illusions, solving brain teasers and riddles, playing number and word games, the list goes on and on.  Basically anything that makes your brain think, adapt, reason, and learn is exercise.  There is no one right answer to what is the best exercise - the best is whatever you will continue to do!  Each person needs to find what works for them.  Just like physical exercise, one person my enjoy step aerobics, while someone else prefers running, and another likes to use the elliptical machine at the gym.  With brain exercise, there are so many games and activities it should be easy to find ones that you enjoy and come back to.  They are also a great way to pass the time when standing in line, waiting at the airport, or sitting in a waiting room.

There a lots of web sites that have all sorts of brain games.  Sheppard Software offers a wide variety of brain games.  The brain games are divided into categories which include Memory, Logic, Words, and Strategy.   They also have games and activities that cover math, science, vocabulary, and history among others.  You do not need to register to use the games and there is no subscription fee.  It is easy to try a bunch of different types of games to see which ones work for you.  Try something new every once in a while, learning new things is one of the best ways to keep your brain young!

There is also a link to their “Kids Corner” which has several educational and brain development games and activities.  It is never too soon to work on good brain health.  The more kids exercise their brains now, the better their brain health will be as they get older.

Sheppard Software Brain Games

Sheppard Software Kids Corner

On average, the adult brain has 100 billion neurons, cannot generate more, and can lose neurons through lack of use.  The new growth that does occur in the adolescent and adult brain is dendrite development.  Dendrites are the branches on the end of the neurons that receive the synaptic transmissions from other neurons.  The more exercise the brain gets, the more dendrites are developed.

The branching of dendrites is caused by chemicals called Neurotrophins.  Children, who are learning with every single interaction, use high levels of neurotrophins.  The level of neurotrophin use decreases with age, but we do continue to use them for the rest of our lives.  The highest level of neurotrophin usage occurs in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory.  There are several different types of neurotrophins and they create new dendrites by attaching to the nerve cells’ receptor sites which causes the cell membrane to grow and branch.

Just like other growth horomones, Neurotrophin activity levels are highest during sleep.  It is during the non-REM cycles of sleep that most of the Neurotrophin activity occurs.  The dendrites that are formed during sleep hard wire the learning that took place during the day.  This means that a good night’s sleep is crucial to the learning process.  If new dendrites aren’t formed, new information is not stored properly, and learning is lost.  Since children learn so much during the day, it is crucial for them to get enough sleep each night.  Adults also need to get ample sleep to maximize any learning that occured during the day.

Researchers, scientists, and doctors tend to agree that 6 - 8 hours of sleep is what is needed on a daily basis.  Ideally, we should sleep until our bodies naturally wake up, this would mean that everything that needs to occur during sleep has happened.  Realistically, we have school, work, and other obligations that prevent us from sleeping uninterupted by alarm clocks in the morning.  The different phases of sleep that occur serve different purposes when it comes to dendrite formation and learning.

The first two hours of sleep are a very deep sleep, during which time new information is transferred from the hippocampus to the cortex.  Long term memories are stored in the cortex, so it is vital for information to be moved to the cortex in order for learning to be achieved.

This initial period of deep sleep when new information is moved to the cortex is followed by a period of time when the cortex sorts through the new information.  Existing connection are strengthened and new connections are developed.  It is during this time that the Neurotrophins are made and start the growth of new dendrites.  This is a slow process, taking up the majority of the time we are supposed to be asleep.  If this process is interrupted, the hard wiring of the information through the creation of dendrites and new connections cannot take place which means that memories are lost and learning is compromised.  Research suggests that this phase takes at least four hours.

The final phase of sleep is spent in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and takes place during the final two hours.  This is the time the brain takes to run through all of the information that was stored during the previous hours of sleep.  It is also during this time that most dreaming occurs, which is why often elements of things that we experienced from the day before show up in our dreams.  Connections in the brain are further enforced during this time and learning is strengthened.  This review stage is important because it when the brain “practices” using the new information, which makes it easier to access the information when we are awake.

Sleep plays a vital role in the brain’s ability to learn, form memories, and access both new and old learning.  If we do not get enough sleep, we cannot effectively learn and process information.  While children especially need to get a lot of good sleep, adults do too since adults are also learning and forming memories on a daily basis.

So, if you are trying to learn something new, the best thing you can do is sleep on it.

What number belongs in the empty triangle?

Stumped?

Here’s a hint:

Each triangle follows a formula, use some combination of multiplication and subtraction with the outside numbers to arrive at the numbers inside the triangles.

The answer:

The number in the 4th triangle should be 3

6 - 2 = 4 x 2 = 8

7 - 5 = 2 x 3 = 6

7 - 4 = 3 x 2 = 6

6 - 5 = 1 x 3 = 3

Starting on April 30, 2009, look for a weekly Quick Quiz.  The Quick Quiz will be a short brain teaser, trick question, or piece of brain trivia located in the side bar.  Each Quick Quiz will start on Thursday and close the following Thursday.  One correct response will be chosen each Friday to receive a $5 cash gift from www.texttogift.com.  The winner will be announced along with the correct answer.  Winners can claim the $5 cash gift by posting a comment with their contact information, comments with contact information will not be published in the blog and contact information will only be used for the purpose of transmitting the $5 cash gift.

www.texttogift.com cash gifts can be accumulated and used in the www.texttogift.com store or put on a Visa gift card.

Here is a grid made of toothpicks.  Can you move three (3) toothpicks and make (3) identical squares?

Stumped?

Here’s a hint - two of the three that need to be moved are red:

Here is the solution: