Memory, Aging, and the I-function
Folk wisdom has long noted that as individuals age, they experience decline in memory performance such that many accept cognitive decline and even "senility" as normal affects of aging, along with graying hair and wrinkled skin. The effects of time on the brain in humans is more complex than simple gradual decay until one shuffles off the mortal coil, as it were. The implications of memory loss, and cases in which cognitive function does not decline, has implications for our understanding of how memory works in general, the treatment of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, and for the role of the "I-function" in learning and recollection.
Memory, in general, can be broken down into different forms, being divided according to the functions it serves and the duration for which it holds. Neurobiologically, to qualify as a "memory," an input must both "cause enduring changes in the nervous system, and be affected by emotional and motivational 'sets'" (1).What is meant in that description is that a memory has to have some root in the brain, must induce some change so that the nervous system undergoes some physical change in addition to the ontological change brought about by being in the class of things affected by the input, and must, in turn, affect other forms of behavior. No memories are ever neutral from a behavioral standpoint.
The main functional division among memories is between so-called ""declarative" and "procedural" memories. The former consists of what are termed "episodic" or "semantic" memories. Declarative memories are formed by events, and are brought back in specific contexts and with distinct meanings. "Procedural Memories," on the other hand, include cla...
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11) Atrophy of CA1 hippocampal synapses in aging adults ,
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12) Geary, James. "Should we just say no to smart drugs?" Time 5 May 1997.,
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13) Bachman, Laura. "Aging and Intellectual perfromance among educated older adults ,
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14)This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated.
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The power of acting without necessity and acting on one’s own discretions, free will still enamors debates today, as it did in the past with philosophers Nietzsche, Descartes, and Hume. There are two strong opposing views on the topic, one being determinism and the other “free will”. Determinism, or the belief a person lacks free will and all events including human actions are determined by forces outside the will of an individual contrasts the entire premise of free will. Rene Descartes formulates his philosophical work through deductive reasoning and follows his work with his system of reasoning. David Hume analyzes philosophical questions with inductive reasoning and skeptism with a strong systematic order. Neither a systematic philosopher nor a rigid thinker, Nietzsche offers his own nihilistic spin on the topic of free will. The three different approaches of free will by Nietzsche, Hume, and Descartes all obtain their strong suits as well as their pitfalls. Nietzsche insists free will is created by theologians and therefore denies its existence, while Descartes embraces free will, and Hume individualizes the meaning of free will.
The first one is procedural memory. Procedural memory is when we recall how to do certain actions or operations such as riding a bike or running. We usually form procedural memory at an early age when we start to learn how to talk or walk. Episodic memory is also a type of long-term memory. It helps us recall special events and episodes and when and where they happened.
Many people, countries, and well the world have been wondering who Malala Yousafzai really is. Born July 12th 1997 in Mingora (Town North West of Pakistan), this Muslim girl flabbergasted the world when she stood up for education ("Malala Yousafzai Biography"). In 2009 she started an anonymous blog for the BBC about women’s schooling being overlooked ("Malala Yousafzai Biography”) Her persistent personality causes her to never give up, as she did with the blog. She is a role model to tons of girls around the world, who have started calling themselves Malala ("Malala Yousafzai Biography"). Many people say she got the love for learning from her father, Ziauddin Yousafzia; who is an educational activist, running a large chain of schools ("Malala Yousafzai Biography"). Pakistan won its first International Children's Peace Prize (now called the International Malala Peace Prize,) because of Malala and she also was the youngest to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age 16, all of this happening in 2011("Malala Yousafz...
Our memory is made up of many different types of memories; episodic, semantic, and implicit. Episodic memory is the remembrance of a certain event. An example of this
I will first be discussing declarative memory, which is characterized by knowledge of facts and events. Much of our current knowledge of the structure and substrates of declarative memory derives from studies of amnesiac patients, from which we can derive two primary findings: declarative memory is separate from other forms of memory such as working and non-declarative memory, and function of declarative memory is dependent on structures
Calioglu, Arpi. “Eating Healthy.” Total Health 17 (1995): 42. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 18 Oct. 2002 <http://library.udayton.edu>.
Project management is "the art and science of converting vision into reality" (Atkinson, 1999). Project management delivers results. Project managers enjoy the challenge of juggling multiple responsibilities and optimizing workflow in a highly competitive environment. From managing the development of a website to launching new company wide integration system, project managers keep projects on time, on track and within budget. Strong business, management and organizational skills as well as experience with current technologies put qualified candidates in high demand in this extraordinary career field. The practice of project management focuses efforts on your mission by defining priorities, utilizing resources, and producing outstanding goods and services for businesses and customers alike. A successful project translates a broad public mission into concrete results and outcomes.
Human memory is flexible and prone to suggestion. “Human memory, while remarkable in many ways, does not operate like a video camera” (Walker, 2013). In fact, human memory is quite the opposite of a video camera; it can be greatly influenced and even often distorted by interactions with its surroundings (Walker, 2013). Memory is separated into three different phases. The first phase is acquisition, which is when information is first entered into memory or the perception of an event (Samaha, 2011). The next phase is retention. Retention is the process of storing information during the period of time between the event and the recollection of a piece of information from that event (Samaha, 2011). The last stage is retrieval. Retrieval is recalling stored information about an event with the purpose of making an identification of a person in that event (Samaha, 2011).
The argument of whether humans are pre-determined to turn out how we are and act the way we do or if we are our own decision makers and have the freedom to choose our paths in life is a long-standing controversy. As a psychologist in training and based on my personal beliefs, I do not believe that we truly have this so called free will. It is because of this that I choose to believe that the work of free will by d’Holbach is the most accurate. Although the ideas that Hume and Chisolm present are each strong in their own manner, d’Holbach presents the best and most realistic argument as to how we choose our path; because every event has a cause, we cannot have free will. Not only this, but also, that since there is always an external cause, we can never justify blame. Now let’s review Hume and Chisolm’s arguments and point out why I do not think that they justly describe free will.
Knapton, S 2014, ‘Brains of elderly slow because they know so much’ Telegraph Media Group, published in the Journal of Topics in Cognitive Science, viewed on the 22nd of march 2014
Robert W. Baird & Co.. (2012). Health, Nutrition & Fitness Report. Available: http://www.acg.org/assets/10/documents/Health__Nutrition_&_Fitness_Report.pdf. Last accessed 8th April 2014.
Memory is the tool we use to learn and think. We all use memory in our everyday lives. Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. We all reassure ourselves that our memories are accurate and precise. Many people believe that they would be able to remember anything from the event and the different features of the situation. Yet, people don’t realize the fact that the more you think about a situation the more likely the story will change. Our memories are not a camcorder or a camera. Our memory tends to be very selective and reconstructive.
Hypothesis 1: The project manager’s competency, which includes his or her leadership style, is positively correlated to project success.
The success of a project depends not only on the skills of the project manager, but also on organisational environment and attitudes (Graham & Englund, 2004). In order for any project to be successful must there be a strong alignment between the project and business outcomes (Graham et al., 2004).
The human memory contains some of our most treasured values. It allows us to remember the past, present, and store information we may need for the future. Memory provides a guidance for us. It influences our behaviors, decisions, and defines our character; our identity. Although, not all memory is created equal and some are less favorable than others. Most would think of memory as a precious gift that we can hold onto forever, but there are also memories we wished to forget. Regardless of the type of memory, without memory we have no direction in life and no purpose. Thus, to understand the human memory, let’s explore how it works, what may affect it, how to maintain better memory, and some current issues with memory.