What’s more important to you, learning or memory?
For us, it’s both.
Learning and memory are profoundly interconnected by your brain. Even research by Harvard Medical School shows that memories play an integral role in learning. Thus, both are equally important for your cognitive development and daily functioning.
Learning and memory are synonymous to each other. Explore with us today in further detail of how memory can enhance learning below.
How Learning and memory work in the brain
Learning and memory are intertwined cognitive processes that involve acquiring and retaining information.
Learning involves acquiring new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. It is an active process in which we engage with new information, practice, and refine our understanding. The learning process is split into three stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
In short, your brain processes sensory information, coordinates movement, helps control certain behaviours and makes it easy to store complex information. Learning shapes is based on amplifying specific synapses, which encourages signals to be transmitted across your brain.
Encoding
Encoding is an active process where your memory perceives and learns certain types of information. You can think of this process as selective, as your brain determines what it will take in and report on.
Example: Imagine you’re walking down the street, and on that walk, you pass street signs, moving cars, and bicycles; you see school children walking to school and hear music nearby. At this point, you’re too physically and mentally stimulated; it’s impossible to encode all that’s going on around you or your internal responses. So, your brain selects what to encode (take in), and the rest is ignored.
Various factors impact the encoding process, such as volume, noise, familiarity, and the type of material used. Often, the information at the beginning and the end is more likely to be encoded than anything in the middle.
Subjective factors such as rest, fatigue, and illness can also influence the encoding process in memory. Studies highlighted by the University of Pennsylvania show that profound non-REM sleep is important for memory consolidation. Sleep helps the brain reorganize and strengthen neural connections formed during learning.
Storing
The next step involves maintaining the encoded information across a period to be reviewed when needed. There are three stages involved in the storing process:
Short-term memory: Temporarily holds information for 20 to 30 seconds. Your short-term memory allows you to retain a small amount of information that immediately needs to be accessed.
Working Memory: A more active memory that temporarily stores and manipulates information. It helps with cognitive tasks such as reasoning, learning, and comprehension.
Long-term Memory: This type of memory stores information in the brain for extended periods, such as a lifetime or months. It has a vast capacity to retain information from our experiences, knowledge, and skills.
Retrieval
This process involves tapping into stored information by recognition and recall. Recognition helps identify familiar events by comparing them to stored information. Recall, on the other hand, requires directly retrieving information from memory.
What are the factors that affect learning and memory?
If you want to improve your cognitive abilities, you need to know the factors that could affect your learning and memory first. After all, many external factors could significantly impact your brain, creating complexities in learning and memory. Some of the common ones are:
Stress
Chronic stress can impact learning and memory, affecting brain structures like the hippocampus. A professor of Psychology and Director of the Schacter Memory Lab at Harvard University was quoted in the article as saying, ” If a person is under a lot of stress, sometimes it can negatively impact retrieval of information.” Stress hormones such as cortisol disrupt neural connections, making it harder to encode and retrieve information.
Lack of Sleep
Are you getting a good 7-9 hours of sleep every night? Your cognitive functions may be impaired if you’re not consistently getting a good night’s sleep. A lack of sleep can impair concentration and focus, stopping you from learning new things. Scientists have also noticed this in a study on sleep deprivation and cognitive performance, finding people had lower attention spans.
Physical Inactivity
If you’re not exercising enough, you might not retain information properly. A lack of physical exercise can significantly impact memory performance and processing speed. Exercise also helps stimulate neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to adapt and change according to new experiences. If you don’t exercise, the neuroplasticity in your brain may be hindered, making it more difficult to learn and retain information.
Poor Nutrition
A balanced diet is essential for optimal brain function. Poor nutrition leads to deficiencies in essential nutrients, negatively impacting cognitive abilities, including learning and memory. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and nuts, and antioxidants, present in fruits and vegetables, support brain health.
Anxiety
High levels of anxiety interfere with concentration and focus, which makes it challenging to learn new information. Anxiety can also impair memory retrieval, as the brain struggles to access stored information under pressure.
Final thoughts
Overall, learning and memory are deeply interconnected processes influenced by many factors. Carnegie Mellon University research shows that active learning techniques significantly enhance learning outcomes. Hands-on activities and group discussions help learners retain 93.5% of information, compared to 79% retention with passive learning methods.
Alongside keeping up with physical exercise, getting a consistent good night’s sleep, eating well, having low stress levels, and more can help you stay alert and more focused.
Looking to enhance your focus and memory? Check out our article on 8 of the best supplements for it.
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