Do you ever walk out of a room with an idea in your head, only to discover moments later that it's gone?
These are cues (暗示) your memory uses to stop remembering, in the belief that a particular mental task is over. When you walk out of a room, you create such an event boundary, signaling to your brain that it can dump anything not firmly fixed in place.
Tests have proved that we're much more forgetful when we move from one location to another.
It's because anything that seems like the end of a task—such as finishing a phone call—can have the same effect. Within seconds, the information you revised is gone.
But here's how to fight back.
First, stop telling your brain that its work is done. This can be as simple as leaving a book open instead of putting it back on the shelf. Second, create clues to carry with you across any unavoidable event boundary. And spend a moment strengthening your memory.
If possible, say the key points out loud: the job you're walking off to do in the next room, for example. And picture the details you want to keep, because using imagery is an effective way to improve memory. Or see yourself meeting your friend in the park.
It can even help to do something physical, like crossing your fingers. Your brain will see this as part of the activity —which can't have finished yet, because your fingers are still crossed!
But by avoiding them when you can, and disguising them when you can't, you'll find that much less of your learning gets lost.
| A. Focus on one task at a time. B. Digital distractions can cause memory loss. C. Visualize the key steps in the baking process. D. The problem is often caused by "event boundaries". E. Notice when one of these end-points to learning is coming up. F. But the same happens when we go from one activity to another, too. G. Every day you're faced with event boundaries that restrict your recall. |
