On Improving Working Memory

The uses of memory have changed over the centuries. Take yourself back to illiterate Medieval Europe. It was a time when most people couldn't read or write. If the average person of that day saw a book or document, the words written would just look like indecipherable scribbles. Yet, people had to function and complete complex tasks, even then. Since they couldn't write down or read instructions, they relied on memory. One of the most common "memory tricks" of that era, and it's common to all illiterate societies, was what the Romans called the Method of Loci. The word loci is the plural for the Latin word locus, meaning a location or place. People would imagine an actually existing area, such as a street, and populate it with images that would remind them of facts. Each fact would be associated with some element in the area, a locus, such as a tree or a building. To recall what they needed to remember, they would simply walk along the route in their minds and stop at each locus to trigger the memory of the information they needed.

The interesting thing is that they could never have done such a feat without something else, working memory. Working memory is like the RAM in a computer, it helps us process information as it comes up. Working memory was once called short term memory, but the name was changed to reflect the greater understand that has developed over the last few years.

While working memory helps us absorb information and processes it on a short term basis, long term memory and method of loci would be impossible if information could not be processed "up front," so to speak, and then handed off to long term memory as required.

Working memory allows you to keep previous or newly learned information in mind for a short period of time and use that information to accomplish a task or figure out a problem.

Working memory gives us the ability to multi-task, such as driving a car and carrying on a conversation at the same time. Our working memory develops during childhood and is one of the first mental functions to degenerate with age. A weak working memory can be a considerable disability. People with weak working memories have difficulty staying focused or ignoring distractions. They also have a hard time planning because processing incoming data requires prioritizing and priorities cannot be set if the first incoming datum is forgotten before the person reaches the fifth piece of information. A poor working memory affects long term storage when data cannot be remembered long enough to be evaluated and stored.

There are a number of disorders that can affect working memory, such as ADHD and Autism/Asperger. Even emotional overload and stress can have an affect.

Our modern multi-tasking society has a tendency to force people to try and keep too much in working memory, resulting in cognitive overload. It helps to use digital and conventional notepads, diaries, calendars, and other memory aids to reduce this problem, but perhaps one of the best aids for improving working memory is prioritization. Laying tasks out in a pattern by time or importance enables the mind to focus on each task or part of a task separately, thus increasing the space available for working memory. This is important since the average human being can usually only deal with up to eight or nine items at a time in short term memory.

Research into neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to adapt) by Doidge in 2007 and Klingberg in 2002 has shown that rigorous mental training can improve brain function. This has resulted in a number of training programs of which Cogmed is the oldest and most established.

 

Cogmed is different in that it was empirically developed in Sweden at the Karolinska Institute and has been subjected to over thirty peer reviewed research studies that have been published in various independent scientific journals.

Research has shown that approximately eighty percent of people who complete the Cogmed program experience considerable improvements in focus and working memory that stick with them in their daily lives. The Cogmed training program has proven useful not only for average individuals but also for these with disabilities such as ADHD and Autism, learning disorders and brain injuries. However, there are times when the training is counter-indicated. And so, it can only be delivered by a trained psychiatrist or psychologist who can determine the perspective trainees suitability for the program.

Cogmed is owned by Pearson Assessments, a leading distributor of psychological testing and therapy materials. It is delivered by trained and licensed professionals world wide. Here, you can learn more about Cogmed training.

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Are you a visual thinker?

Many talented people are "Visual Thinkers". This visual thinking often gives the ability to “see” things most others may miss. Read the text below and see how visual a thinker you are. Your mind should extract the important information as you read it, discard the unimportant information, and assemble what’s left using information it has on file from your brain to fill in the blanks.

We are able to read such a text thanks to “matrixing”. Matrixing or Apophenia is about seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random data. While most matrixing experiences are meaningless (see this "Martian face" for example), many great scientific discoveries are due to matrixing.

How to Help Your Child Choose the Right Career Path

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions that a young person can make. Unfortunately, young people are called upon to make this decision at a time when their understanding of themselves and of the world is still developing.

While discussing this question with their parents can be helpful, it is often the case that parents have a hard time understanding the qualities, capabilities and intelligence of their children.

Here's a fictional example of the problem. It is a short dialog that takes place as George Washington returns home to visit his mother after the successful outcome of the American Revolution.

Washington (entering his mothers home): "Mother, I have wonderful news. We are victorious. We have a new nation. I have led a rag-tag army through terrible trials, have fought against the most powerful country in the world and have brought defeat to the King of England!"

Washington's mother: "Wipe your feet. How many times have I told you not to track mud into the house?"

In short, it's hard to have a high opinion of someone whose diapers you have changed.

Parents often have a difficult time understanding the personal qualities of their children, Which makes it tough to wisely advise them on making the proper career decisions. True, some parents can overcome this problem, but many don't.

The process of selecting a career requires self-analysis on the part of both the parents and the child. This enables the formation of personal values and goals. These values and goals will help the child to follow a career that is fulfilling and that he or she will enjoy enough to keep working at for many years. Only then is it practical to determine and pursue the educational requirements necessary to enable that child to function professionally in the field of choice.

Determining a career path early has become important in our constantly evolving society. And so many parents are taking the option of using career counseling services for their teenagers. Sometimes these teenagers are as young as fourteen.

The ever increasing cost of education, along with a volatile job market, has caused parents to become more involved it helping their children determine career goals, for the waste of time and money pursuing the wrong paths can be costly indeed.

Fortunately, there are now many different options for obtaining information and advice that go far beyond the traditional school counselor. There are online career counseling websites and even career assessments available from qualified psychologists. While some options are free of charge, others can be quite expensive.

The most effective approach is to combine information obtained from in depth personal interviews with data from psychological testing. These tests should include determination of the students thinking skills, aptitudes, interests and personality. A detailed discussion with a councilor or psychologist enables the student to understand the information derived from formal testing and to evaluate his or her choices.

We feel that a student's personality, interests, aspirations and talents should be the starting point for determining a satisfying career. Through self-exploration and a bit of objective research, the student can participate in planning a viable future.   

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Top Ten Tips for Raising a Strong Willed Child

These 10 tips are extracted from the book You Can’t Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded) by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. They should be every parent's "Ten Commandments":

http://media.focusonthefamily.com/fotf/pdf/fof_daily_broadcast/2012/top-ten-tips-for-strong-willed-child-of-any-age.pdf

Six Simple Tips for Managing Children’s Meltdowns

There are times when even well-behaved children feel overwhelmed and find it hard to cope with strong feelings. The reason for that can be cognitive or sensory overload, anxiety, accumulation of unexpressed emotions, fatigue, hunger, etc. If an additional frustration or demand is placed upon already stressed out child, the result can be a full-blown, highly emotional outburst that can send a parent into the depths of helplessness and despair. Although occasional meltdowns happen to many children and are usually well managed by the parents, frequent outbursts that are typical of children with ADHD, ODD, Autism, Language Delay, Sensory Integration Disorder and Learning Disabilities are highly disturbing and exhausting for both the parents and the child. It is especially upsetting for parents when this happens in a public place. It is important to understand that meltdowns are developmentally normal and happen in the life of almost every child. However, parental reaction is very important as it determines whether the tantrums will become more frequent and what the child is going to learn from them.

It is important to understand the original reason for the tantrum and try to address it. Children may melt down for two primary reasons. First, it happens if acting out can get them what they want really fast. In this case, the child throws a fit whenever they want something that the parents are not ready to provide or does not want to do something that a parent requests. If tantrum was effective for them in the past they will use it again and again. Second, more common situation is that a child has not learned how to cope with his / her feelings of frustration and anger that flood him and cause to lose control. In this case, children may yell, shout offensive words to their parents, throw things and hurt themselves or others. When the storm is over, the child usually feels sad and sincerely apologetic. Of course, the long-term goal is to teach the child how to understand and express his/ her feelings in more effective ways.

This takes time and patience. In the meantime, the following simple strategies will help parents to prepare for, manage and resolve these situations more effectively.

TIP #1: Agree on a plan
Before going to the grocery store or the video-game parlor, ask your child what would calm him down if he gets upset. If he does have an episode, you will have a plan because your child has delivered it to you. His ownership of it should pretty much guarantee that he will cooperate with your enforcing it.

TIP #2: Acknowledge their anguish
Let them know you understand what they are going through. In a calm voice, tell your child, “I know you’re disappointed that you didn’t find the toy you wanted” or “I know you’re angry because your friends didn’t ask you to play.” Then ask your child to rate her disappointment or anger on a scale of 1 to 10. This gives you an idea of the severity of the problem, without having to nag or repeat what you say.

TIP #3: Set the bar
Explain to him that the clock is running. You can say, "Let’s see how fast you can calm yourself down, so we can get on with the rest of our day" or "Even though you’re upset, you need to get in control, so we can continue shopping."

TIP #4: Snuff out the emotion
Ask your child to imagine that there is a candle painted on her palm. Then have her hold her hand with her palm facing toward her face, and ask her to blow out the imaginary flame. Deep breathing settles out-of-control children. An alternative: Keep a balloon or two in your purse and ask her to blow them up.

TIP #5: Get punchy
If you’re at home during a meltdown, ask your child to punch a pillow, cushion, or another soft, safe object. Pillow fights, ripping up newspapers, or squeezing a ball can short-circuit a meltdown.

TIP #6: Press the right button
Have your child pretend that she is holding a remote control in her hand. Ask her to press the button that turns down her emotions.

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On Memory Loss

Every day, I hear complaints about memory loss from family, friends, and patients. Let's first consider how memory works. Memory functions through these three stages:

- Information Acquisition
- Information Consolidation
- Information Retrieval

Information Acquisition. Before you can remember something, you first must learn the information. This is called acquisition. This acquired information is then stored in temporary nerve-cell pathways in the brain. These pathways contain short-term memories.

Information Consolidation. In order for something to be placed in long-term memory, the nerve pathways have to be strengthened and reinforced. This process, called consolidation, can take weeks or even months. There are several factors that affect whether or not information will be put into long-term memory. For example, you are more likely to retain information if it relates to pre-existing memories or somehow stimulates you emotionally. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a good night's sleep, as this too helps you retain information.

Information Retrieval. When people retrieve information, they are literally "recalling" it from the nerve pathways. The brain reactivates a particular pathway, and the information is remembered. This process can be fast or slow, depending on how familiar you are with the information and how well you have learned it in the first place.


Next, I want to bring to your attention an excellent article by Professor Robert A. Bjork, who is a distinguished memory expert from UCLA. The article "How Memory Works: 10 Things Most People Get Wrong" was published last month - you can read it here.

Maybe there is hope after all? :-)

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On Giftedness and Creativity

Parents are often the first to notice the signs of giftedness in their children and they come to psychologists to perform gifted testing. Yet, many parents mix giftedness with intelligence. While intelligence certainly plays the role, the key element in giftedness is creativity. It is ironic that for 50 years after Lewis Terman, who in 1916 first used IQ tests to detect giftedness in school children, the creativity aspect was totally neglected. Only in sixties, researchers started linking giftedness with creativity, in fact they even created a new term "creative giftedness".
Prof. Kyung Hee Kim argues that creativity is often suppressed by parents and society norms, and we should change a lot if want to unlock creative potential in our children. I totally agree with his comments in this recent interview (reprinted below):

Q: Are there programs or activities that parents and teachers can use to encourage children to be more creative?
A: To strengthen children’s creativity, parents and teachers must not only find or develop programs or activities with new techniques, but must first change environments that inhibit creativity. The best creative techniques, or the strongest creative programs, cannot compensate for a culture that crushes creativity. Creative growth demands that we adapt our environments into a creativity-friendly environment. Only through a self-evaluation of our culture to determine the elements that are blocking our children and through the construction of more fertile creative soil can we lead our children to new levels of creative achievement. Individuals are born creative, some more, some less. Creativity is killed first by parents (especially parents who are perfectionists), then later by teachers, schools, society, cultures, and the like. So before we worry about encouraging creativity, we should learn to preserve it. Research has determined that there are many ways to preserve creativity in our children.
Preserve Curiosity: To preserve creativity, children’s curiosity should be satisfied and encouraged. Most children go through a period when they ask a lot of questions to parents, teachers, adults, anyone where they can get answers. Parents take the brunt of this questioning and at times this gets annoying. However, instead of getting annoyed and discouraging this curiosity, parents should take the time to try to find the answers and, probably more importantly, to demonstrate to their curious children how to find the answers.
Focus on Ideas: I watched a mother criticizing her little son because he drew a dog with red fur. If he had drawn wings for his dog, she would have screamed at him. For her, spelling the right words was more important than having ideas or imagination. In contrast, Cathy who is one of the participants of the Torrance’s 40-year (from 1958 to 2008) longitudinal study still remembers that when she was writing essays in fourth grade, the teachers who participated in the study did not emphasize spelling, but emphasized original ideas in the essays. Thus, parents and teachers may not want to always emphasize getting the “right” answers and or even the correct spelling; they should instead peek into a world of child fantasy, imagination, and inventiveness and encourage that ability. They can always help children prepare for being wrong or making mistakes and correcting those mistakes.
Raise Nonconformists: Creative individuals do not like to follow the rules; they tend to follow their own rules. They tend to question and rebel against established norms. Perceptual and mental-sets, well-learned and habitual ways of thinking, and rules and traditions that restrict individuals’ behavior stifle creativity. Thus, parents and teachers should welcome unorthodox views and accept when children have different ideas or want to be different... (Read complete interview here)
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HOW TO HANDLE YOUR CHILD’S REACTIONS TO MEDIA COVERAGE OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND OTHER THREATENING EVENTS

When the news of a threatening event, such as a hurricane or a terrorist attack receive widespread media coverage, it becomes virtually impossible to shield our children from learning about it. Some children are predisposed to anxious reactions and will fixate on any topic that implies danger to them and their loved ones. Others will only react strongly to a new unfamiliar situation. In any case, the parents play a pivotal role in mediating their children’s reactions and turning this event into a learning experience that will strengthen their child’s resilience to life’s adversities.

It is important to understand that in some cases, children do not even know what words such as “hurricane” or “tornado” mean to their personal lives. They figure it out from observing the world around them. If they hear the word in the news and conversations many times and notice that their parents react to it with worry and fear, they will realize that this is something very big and scary. While there is no reason to shield your children completely from the news, try to limit the number of times they are exposed to such information. In fact, it is a good idea to tell your child about the event and about how the family is going to prepare for it. It is better for children to hear this information from their parents, who can discuss it with them and address any feelings the child might have about it.  It will also prepare the child for the actual experience, if they get exposed to it.

However, the most important thing the parents can do is to control their own emotional reaction. If a child sees a parent who is calm and confident while talking about or preparing for the anticipated event, they will feel safe and confident themselves. The parents need to show confidence that they can cope with their own and their children’s feelings in any new situation.

While some children will talk about their worries and ask many questions, others will not express it verbally, but might show their feelings through oppositional behavior, negative mood, or anxious acts such as being clingy to their parents, checking things over and over again, refusing to leave the house, etc. If the child talks openly about her fears, you can discuss what events might happen in your area and how you plan to cope with them. You can even practice some of the possible situations. For example, to show the child what it will be like without electricity, you might turn off the lights in one of the rooms and show them how you will use a flashlight and candles instead.  You can also tell the child that this has already happened before and everything was okay. This preparation will inoculate the child in case they will be exposed to the actual experience and will make them feel prepared in anticipation of it.

It is very important to validate the child’s thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. Kids have the right to feel what they feel. Simply validating their feelings will have a great soothing effect. Do not try to talk them out of their feeling or make the feeling go away. Instead, teach them to tolerate their feelings.  Then, try to normalize the child’s experience and reactions by saying that many kids and adults feel this way. Give examples from your own life of how you were afraid of something but were able to cope with your feelings. Give examples from the child’s life as well. Explain that what scares the child right now is just thoughts, and thoughts are not the truth, they are just ideas and images in our brain. You can practice successful coping by asking the child to close their eyes and imagine various situations related to the event and their calm reaction to them. For example: “ I hear about a hurricane and I feel calm”, “I feel strong winds and I feel calm”, “ I go to bed and I feel calm”, etc. Help them feel the calmness at the physical level, use their imagination. This exercise should be repeated 2-3 times a day. Each time acknowledge their success; comment on how you noticed that they looked much calmer and stayed in control much better. During this period it is a good idea to redirect the child’s attention by playing games, having fun and spending time together as a family.

These simple steps will give you and your child a sense of being in control and will build their ability to cope with other anxiety-provoking events in the future.

Dr. Tali Shenfield, PhD, C.Psych

Clinical Director of Child and Family Psychology Center

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