Memory Enhancement Techniques Research Articles

The Role of Memory Enhancing Techniques in Learning--Examining the Effects of Item-level Brain Training Techniques on Learning

The Role of Memory Enhancing Techniques in Learning--Examining the Effects of Item-level Brain Training Techniques on Learning

Utilization of memory enhancement techniques and academic progress of grade 6 students in Bubukal Elementary School, Santa Cruz, Laguna

Utilization of memory enhancement techniques and academic progress of grade 6 students in Bubukal Elementary School, Santa Cruz, Laguna

Long-Lived States Provide Insights from NMR into the β-Cyclodextrin Drug Assemblies.

In the last two decades, extending spin memory in NMR has been used for several purposes. Long-lived states (LLS) or singlet states are one of the first spin memory enhancement techniques used. LLS have the potential to extract structural information and intra- and intermolecular interactions of complex systems other than studying slow phenomenon. The motional regime of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) drug inclusion complexes generally lies in the intermediate region, where ωτc ≈ 1, and the standard methods of studying these interactions, i.e., NOE and chemical shift monitoring, suffer from insufficient output information. The sensitivity of LLS toward the environmental changes is utilized here to gain insights into the drug assemblies formed by β-CD. One can use change in relaxation of LLS to study the structural changes during complexation. The examples of β-CD with the drugs indomethacin, paracetamol, gliclazide, and CI-933 (a precursor 4-methoxybenzamide) were studied. Indomethacin, paracetamol, and 4-methoxybenzamide show strong interaction through the para-substituted benzene ring, unlike gliclazide. Relaxation of LLS in β-CD-drug complexes is modeled using standard Redfield Relaxation Theory. Computational studies performed support the experimental observations. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation provided the explanation of the relaxation properties of these drug molecules.

Improving second language vocabulary learning and retention by leveraging memory enhancement techniques: A multidomain pedagogical approach

We investigated whether learning and retaining vocabulary in a second language (L2) can be improved by leveraging a combination of memory enhancement techniques. Specifically, we tested whether combining retrieval practice, spacing, and related manipulations in a ‘multidomain’ pedagogical approach enhances vocabulary acquisition as compared to a typical learning approach. In a classroom-laboratory design, 48 Turkish university students studying L2 English were trained on 64 English words over 17 days. They were assigned to either a ‘typical’ study regimen of (re)studying the words on the first day (initial study) and last day (cramming) of training, or an ‘optimized’ regimen of retrieval practice (retrieving the words), moreover with feedback, spaced throughout the period, moreover with expanding gaps. The target words were tested before training (pre-test) and one and 11 days afterwards (post-tests). Mixed-effects modeling revealed a training-group by test-session interaction, due to greater improvements from optimized training (a striking 18 percentage-point accuracy increase from pre-test to both post-tests) than typical training (an 8 percentage-point increase). Further analyses showed that the optimized training advantages were mainly driven by high (rather than low) frequency words. Overall, the results suggest that a multidomain approach of combining different memory enhancement techniques can lead to substantial gains in both the learning and retention of L2 words, as compared to a typical study pattern. The findings have implications for L2 learning and pedagogy.

Mnemonic Techniques and Lie Detection: Accuracy of Truth and Deception Judgments in Repeated Accounts

This study was an examination into whether the use of memory-enhancing techniques (mnemonics) in interviews can be helpful to distinguish truth tellers from liars. In the previous study (Izotovas et al., 2018), it was found that when mnemonic techniques were used in the interview immediately after the event, truth-tellers reported more details than liars in those immediate interviews and again after a delay. Moreover, truth-tellers, but not liars, showed patterns of reporting indicative of genuine memory decay.
 In the current experiment, participants (n = 92) were asked to read the repeated statements reported by participants in the Izotovas et al.’s (2018) study and decide whether the statements they read were truthful or deceptive. One group of participants (informed condition) received information about the findings of the previous study before reading the statement. The other group received no information before reading the statement (uninformed condition). After participants made veracity judgements, they were asked an open-ended question asking what factors influenced their credibility decision. Although truthful statements were judged more accurately in the informed condition (65.2%) than in the uninformed condition (47.8%), this difference was not significant. In both conditions deceptive statements were detected at chance level (52.2%). Participants who relied on the self-reported diagnostic verbal cues to deceit were not more accurate than participants who self-reported unreliable cues. This could happen because only the minority of participants (27.4%) in both conditions based their decisions on diagnostic cues to truth/deceit.

Feasibility of using a computer-assisted working memory training program for healthy older women.

Interventions for age-associated cognitive impairment are of increasing significance as populations age. Using N-back and memory strategy enhancement, the present study aimed to explore the feasibility of using, and outcomes of a working memory (WM) training program on visuospatial and verbal WM in older female adults. Older women from two comparable local health centers who scored 26 and higher on Mini-Mental State Examination were invited to participate. Women at one center (experimental group) received three sessions on memory enhancement techniques and a computerized training program with N-back. Women at the other center (control group) received three sessions on memory and aging and training on using various features of cellphones. All participants completed the Corsi Block Task and Digit Span Task at pre- and post-training. The experimental group showed significant improvements in their visuospatial and verbal WM compared to the control group. These findings support the brain's plasticity in the elderly. WM training for improving cognitive performance in older adults has potential and should be further investigated.

Implications of the declarative/procedural model for improving second language learning: The role of memory enhancement techniques

The declarative/procedural (DP) model posits that the learning, storage, and use of language critically depend on two learning and memory systems in the brain: declarative memory and procedural memory. Thus, on the basis of independent research on the memory systems, the model can generate specific and often novel predictions for language. Till now most such predictions and ensuing empirical work have been motivated by research on the neurocognition of the two memory systems. However, there is also a large literature on techniques that enhance learning and memory. The DP model provides a theoretical framework for predicting which techniques should extend to language learning, and in what circumstances they should apply. In order to lay the neurocognitive groundwork for these predictions, here we first summarize the neurocognitive fundamentals of the two memory systems and briefly lay out the resulting claims of the DP model for both first and second language. We then provide an overview of learning and memory enhancement techniques before focusing on two techniques – spaced repetition and retrieval practice – that have been linked to the memory systems. Next, we present specific predictions for how these techniques should enhance language learning, and review existing evidence, which suggests that they do indeed improve the learning of both first and second language. Finally, we discuss areas of future research and implications for second language pedagogy.

Fit to last: Exploring the longevity of the survival processing effect.

Mounting evidence indicates that processing items for their survival value produces superior recall compared to a number of other well-known memory-enhancing techniques, and that this mnemonic advantage remains up to 48 hours after encoding (Raymaekers et al., 2014 ). However, little attention has been dedicated to the survival processing effect in location memory, which may represent a better test of adaptive memory than retrieval of verbal information. The current study aims to fill this gap by exploring the longevity of the survival processing effect with both word list (Experiment 1) and location-based (Experiment 2) stimuli. Participants rated target items using a single incidental encoding scenario, either Survival versus Pleasantness (word stimuli) or Survival versus Scavenger Hunt (location stimuli). They were then asked to complete a surprise recall task immediately after the ratings and a second recall task 96 hours later. The results demonstrated that, despite a general reduction in memory performance across time, the survival processing advantage was detected at both test times for both stimuli types. These findings provide further support for the survival processing effect and extend the observed effect duration for both word lists and location to 96 hours.

Interviewing Victims of Repeated Domestic Violence: Investigators' Beliefs and Strategies

Most victims of domestic violence are abused repeatedly over time. Hence, investigative challenges arise concerning victims' ability to recall particular events. This research focuses on investigators' understanding of memory-based problems associated with repeated victimization and their strategies to facilitate recall. Eighty-one Swedish police officers completed a questionnaire probing their beliefs about memory for repeated events, aims of witness interviews and specific memory-enhancing techniques. A large proportion reported not making any extra preparations or using specific techniques to tackle the challenges of interviewing victims of repeated violence. However, respondents were largely aware of problematic memory features, including source monitoring errors, and they reported using scientifically supported techniques.

Enhancing Cognitive Fitness in Adults: A Guide to the Use and Development of Community-Based Programsedited by Hartman-SteinPaula E. and LaRueAsenath; New York, Springer Publishing, 2011, 522 pages, $169

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewsFull AccessEnhancing Cognitive Fitness in Adults: A Guide to the Use and Development of Community-Based ProgramsJeffrey L. Geller, M.D., M.P.H., , and Jacqueline Kerr, Ph.D.Jeffrey L. GellerSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., M.P.H., Editor, and Jacqueline KerrSearch for more papers by this author, Ph.D.Published Online:1 Oct 2012https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.631004AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail edited by Hartman-SteinPaula E. and LaRueAsenath; New York, Springer Publishing, 2011, 522 pages, $169When I was asked to review this book, I had also received a request as director of a Successful Aging program to review the current research on “brain fitness” and present it to my program participants. My main area of research is physical activity of older adults, and in the past I have reviewed the literature on cognitive functioning and exercise. But I am a novice when it comes to other programs related to cognitive wellness. Thus my metric for judging the book was, could I read it (in my few spare moments before bedtime) and formulate a practical presentation for older adults in a retirement community?Given that I just delivered said presentation, my resounding answer is yes. Not only was the book easy to read (literally I read most of it as bedside reading), the information was extremely practical and enlightening. Admittedly, I followed up on many of the programs with online searches, but the book was a fantastic starting point.I felt engaged from the start as the editors shared personal stories of cognitive challenges in their families. The scope of the book was appropriate, covering multiple types of programs and always stating how much research had been conducted. Theoretical constructs, such as skill transfer, were clearly outlined, and practical tips for judging consumer brain fitness programs were provided. I learned about basic memory enhancement techniques, about aids that we should use because our memories can fail us at any age, and about activities that lead to social engagement and cognitive sweat. In particular, the chapter that described the Odyssey of the Mind program was helpful because it demonstrated how complex problem solving and the presentation of solutions involve multiple domains of thinking, memory, and reasoning.Practitioners will find this book useful because they can learn some simple tips to help aging patients who do or do not have memory problems. They will be able to recommend types of activities that a patient could try informally (playing improvisation games, for example) or through existing programs if they are available locally (such as Experience Corps and Early Memory Loss Clubs). Or if they desired, they could try to deliver a program in their practice. Many of the chapters include guidelines on how to set up and run sessions.One chapter suggests checking the National Institutes of Health Web site (consensus.nih.gov) for consensus statements on research conducted to date, which I did, and I concluded that the book echoes current understanding and future directions.Dr. Kerr is with the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego.The reviewer reports no competing interests. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 63Issue 10 October 2012Pages e5-e5 Metrics The reviewer reports no competing interests.PDF download History Published online 1 October 2012 Published in print 1 October 2012

Adaptive Memory

If memory evolved, sculpted by the processes of natural selection, then its operating characteristics likely bear the “footprints” of ancestral selection pressures. Psychologists rarely consider this possibility and generally ignore functional questions in their attempt to understand how human memory works. We propose that memory evolved to enhance reproductive fitness and, accordingly, its systems are tuned to retain information that is fitness-relevant. We present evidence consistent with this proposal, namely that processing information for its survival relevance leads to superior long-term retention—better, in fact, than most known memory-enhancement techniques. Even if one remains skeptical about evolutionary analyses, adopting a functional perspective can lead to the generation of new research ideas.

Handbook of Forensic Psychology: Resource for Mental Health and Legal Professionals

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: ForensicsFull AccessHandbook of Forensic Psychology: Resource for Mental Health and Legal ProfessionalsRALPH SLOVENKO, J.D., Ph.D., RALPH SLOVENKOSearch for more papers by this author, J.D., Ph.D., Detroit, Mich.Published Online:1 Sep 2005https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.9.1773AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail In this big book, the editors, both from the Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, have assembled 71 contributors, nearly all from university departments of psychology, to produce an encyclopedic handbook of forensic psychology. The volume is organized into four parts: 1) Basic Issues, 2) Assessment, 3) Mental Disorders and Forensic Psychology, and 4) Special Topics. Each part has several chapters, which, in turn, have several sections on different topics.Part 1, Basic Issues, is designed to orient mental health professionals to the practice of law and orient legal professionals to the practice and limitations of psychology. Part 1 has four chapters. The first, “Psychology and the Law,” has seven sections on different issues in psychology and law. Chapter 2 provides an introduction to psychology for attorneys, chapter 3 on ethical issues in forensic psychology, and chapter 4 on forensic report writing.Part 2, Assessment, has the following chapters: “Assessment of Dangerousness and Criminal Responsibility,” “Forensic and Ethical Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of the Suicidal Patient,” “Assessing Intent and Criminal Responsibility,” “Assessing Adjudicative Competency,” “Assessing Mental Competency in the Elderly,” “Child Custody Evaluations,” “Forensic Interviewing of Children,” “Evaluation of Psychological Damages,” “Detecting Malingering,” “Assessment of Substance Abuse,” and “Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.”Part 3, Mental Disorders and Forensic Psychology, has five chapters: “Conduct Disorders and Impulse Control in Children,” “Psychopathic Personality,” “Sexual Deviance,” “Disorders of Impulse Control,” and “Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation.”Part 4, Special Topics, has chapters covering issues in eyewitness testimony, recovered memories, Daubert testing (1) of hypnotically refreshed testimony, the polygraph, nonverbal detection of deception, sexual harassment, child abuse and neglect, partner violence, elder abuse, involuntary commitment, selection of jurors, issues of ethnicity, psychology in correctional settings, evaluation of youth in the juvenile justice system, influence tactics in the interrogation room, voluntary intoxication, and sexual assault.As this description of the chapters would indicate, just about every conceivable topic in forensic psychology is covered, but the coverage of each topic is rather thin. Thus, chapter 1 in part 1 covers psychiatrist/psychologist-patient privilege (five pages), expert testimony (five pages), involuntary civil commitment (three pages), criminal commitment (two pages), duality and sexual relationships with clients (one page), memory enhancement techniques (three pages), and Internet psychotherapy (one page). Some of these topics are also discussed in subsequent chapters.As might be expected from a multiauthored work, the writing is uneven, ranging from the interesting to the pedantic, and with repetition. For example, the Tarasoff(2) decision of the California Supreme Court in 1976 on the duty of a therapist to report a patient who poses a danger is discussed no fewer than five times (pp. 8, 86, 104, 560, 774). A somewhat less than satisfactory and uneven bibliography follows each chapter (italicization is inconsistent). Be that as it may, the encyclopedic nature of the book should prove helpful as a reference work for mental health and legal professionals. It was obviously a major enterprise to assemble and coordinate 71 contributors. The book is attractively printed.Reprints are not available; however, Book Forum reviews can be downloaded at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org.Edited by William T. O’Donohue and Eric R. Levensky. Burlington, Mass., Elsevier Science, 2004, 1,064 pp., $149.95.

Hippocampal and neocortical activation during repetitive encoding in older persons

Episodic memory function is known to decline in the course of normal aging; however, compensatory techniques can improve performance significantly in older persons. We investigated the effects of the memory enhancing technique of repetition encoding on brain activation using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twelve healthy older adults without cognitive impairment were studied with fMRI during repetitive encoding of face–name pairs. During the first encoding trials of face–name pairs that were subsequently remembered correctly, activation of the hippocampus and multiple neocortical regions, including prefrontal, parietal and fusiform cortices, was observed. The second and third encoding trials resulted in continued activation in neocortical regions, but no task-related response within the hippocampus. Functional imaging of successful memory processes thus permits us to detect regionally specific responses in the aging brain. Our findings suggest that hippocampal function is preserved in normal aging and that repetition-based memory enhancing techniques may engage primarily neocortical attentional networks.

Spaced cognitive interviewing: Facilitating therapeutic and forensic narration of traumatic memories

The evolution of the cognitive interview (CI) is reviewed from the original package of memory-enhancing techniques through to the revised (or enhanced) CI, and the cognitive approach now taught to police officers in UK. Many officers are reluctant to apply CI, particularly to traumatised victims. The traumatising effects of crime are examined in terms of immediate response and the potential for an acute stress response and post-traumatic stress disorder, with subsequent re-experiencing of dissociated traumatic memories in the form of intrusive, unwanted imagery. Traumatic memories are described, particularly their accuracy, detail and persistence. The therapeutic potential of prolonged experience of distress while narrating the content of traumatic imagery is explained. An approach to maximising the disclosure of dissociated detail - spaced cognitive interviewing (SCI) - is described and case material presented illustrating its forensic and therapeutic application. The practice and practical implications of SCI are summarised.

Amphetamine enhances human-memory consolidation

Although it is generally accepted that CNS stimulants have enhancing effects on long-term storage processes in laboratory animals, little is known about their influence on human learning. We report a series of experiments with free recall of lists of unrelated words, demonstrating a significant enhancement on long-term retention after amphetamine administration. A gradual increase of recall was observed up to 1 h after learning, remaining stable for at least 3 days, after oral administration before learning as well as intramuscular injection after learning. The results show that research on humans with drug-induced memory-enhancement techniques is necessary to supplement the animal studies for the understanding of the mechanisms involved in information consolidation.

Review of Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview.

Review of Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview.

MEMORY TRAINING IN THE COMMUNITY AGED: EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION, MEMORY COMPLAINT, AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE

This study compares the effects of two types of training programs on memory complaints, memory performance, and affective status in the community elderly. Prior research has suggested that although there are some age differences in memory, the memory complaints of older persons are related to depression and not to actual memory performance. In the present project subjects were randomly assigned into one of two treatment groups: (1) memory training, which received instruction in specific memory enhancement techniques, and (2) growth, which dealt with interpersonal and affective issues. The sample was comprised of women over SO, who responded to advertisements for a memory clinic. The results indicate that both training groups significantly reduced concerns about memory and resulted in improved memory performance. Further analysis suggested that changes in depression, not memory performance, were significantly associated with lessened complaints about memory following training. These results indicate the ef...