2/18/2023 0 Comments Context dependent memoryIt has an important role in planning complex cognitive behaviour and is where we do our higher-level thinking and behaving. The pre-frontal cortex is also sometimes referred to as our ‘executive’ brain. What actually happens in the brain during memory recall?Ĭontext-dependent memory principally involves two areas of the brain the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus. There are other examples, but the bottom line is always the same: when you learn something in one context, you’ll more easily remember it in the same context. These fall into the category of cognitive context-dependent memory. We also learn/ retrieve better when we are thinking about achievement and success. It has also been found that when bi- or multi-lingual people learn something in a language then they will best recall it in the same language. The police use this approach by taking people back to the scene of a crime, or filming a reconstruction of an event, in order to jog people’s memories. Going back to a physical location from childhood, say, can bring back long-forgotten memories. Our environments also have a strong impact on our ability to recall information. Often (annoyingly!) people find that after the exam, when they have calmed down, they remember the facts they couldn’t recall at the time. Getting stressed or panicking in an exam puts the brain into a ‘state of emergency’ and effectively creates a ‘roadblock’ that stops information passing through. So, to more easily retrieve memorised information, a person needs to ensure that they are in the same emotional state during the exam as they were when they were revising. The literature refers to this as mood-dependent or mood-congruent memory – the idea that we recall things more easily if we are in the same mood when we try to remember them as when they happened. We create different moods, or emotional states, all the time and can increase or decrease our own levels of stress hormones simply by thinking positively or negatively. We are, ourselves, ‘walking pharmacies’ and able to change our own internal bio-chemistry. It is not always necessary that the ‘drugs’ be externally sourced, of course. So, if you always revise while slightly caffeinated, it will probably be easiest to recall what you have revised if you are similarly ‘caffeinated’ during the test or exam. Much of the research supporting state-dependent memory has been done on the effect of drugged states, including caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. So whilst context-dependent memory refers more to a person’s external environment and conditions (the location, ticking of a clock, desk arrangement etc), state-dependent memory applies to the person’s internal conditions. State-dependent memory, for instance, is the phenomenon through which memory retrieval is most efficient when an individual is in the same physical and mental state as they were when the memory was formed. The difference between them is simply the kind of context involved. There are several different subtypes of context dependency. The worst results came from the groups where the contexts were misaligned. The ‘gum-gum’ subjects significantly outperformed all other groups. There were four groups: While memorizing the list: Twenty-four hours later their recall was tested. Some were given gum to chew at the same time. Subjects were asked to memorize a list of words. In short, context-dependent memory refers to the improved recall of information when the context present at encoding and retrieval are the same. Have you ever lost something and decided to retrace your steps to try and find it? Or come downstairs with an item and then remembered that you meant to bring down two items, and so have had to go back upstairs in order to prompt yourself to remember what the second thing was that you wanted to fetch? If you have, then you have been using a phenomenon called context-dependency. By understanding context-dependent memory and its role in learning, you can greatly improve memory recall, as well as your performance in presentations, tests and exams. But context also makes our thoughts and experiences more memorable. We know that context makes things like facts and figures more meaningful. Let me see if I can explain this important phenomenon that we probably never think about, but which affects us all.
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