Memory is recognized as a very important tool in the everyday lives of human beings. Without memory, human beings would find it hard to function productively. There are three types of memory which are the long-term memory, short-term memory, and sensory memory. Having a strong memory is dependent on the vitality and health of the brain. There are a lot of ways through which individuals can stay mentally sharp. This paper will analyze three different articles and determine their recommended techniques for improving memory.
Sánchez-Horcajo, R., Llamas-Alonso, J., & Cimadevilla, J. M. (2015). Practice of aerobic sports is associated with better spatial memory in adults and older men. Experimental aging research , 41 (2), 193-203.
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Description of the purpose
The purpose of this article is to explain the importance of sports in improving memory. The paper tries to explain how memory can be improved through sports especially for older people. As people become old they lose their memory leading to individual differences. Physical activity is one of the factors that could help in improving memory function. Cognitive abilities are affected by changes in age and often memory complaints are common in aging. The introduction of virtual reality activities helps in accessing cognitive functions such as a hippocampus-dependent cognitive ability and spatial memory.
Method
The method used by the writer is a virtual reality-based task method. The participants were 56 men who were divided into sportsmen and sedentary across different age groups 50-59, 60-69, 70-77. The participants were interviewed to identify their background information concerning habits and health conditions. Demographic information concerning the participants was collected such as age, level of education, occupation, and prior video game experience. The instrument used was the Boxes Room task which was administered on a computer notebook having a 6 GB RAM and 15.4-inch screen. The participants were expected to navigate the maze through the manipulation of the Ligitech joystick and the computer provided them with auditory feedback. ANOVA was used to analyze variance in order to determine repeated measures among the last two variables. Statistical analysis was achieved through SPSS Statistics and the differences were found to be significant.
Results
The results of the study showed that the sportsmen performed better than sedentary participants in tasks that were in high demand. In the post hoc analysis concerning age factor, the older people of ages 70-77 years had more errors and spent a lot of time on a task. The results also show that for individuals of ages 50-59, can obtain cognitive benefits if they engage in aerobic sports.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the study is that aging physical activities has a relationship with cognitive abilities. Memory loss is common among older people but this is different among individuals. The way people age is determined by their lifestyle. Therefore, sedentary men are outperformed by the sportsmen which means that physical exercise has a positive impact on the functionality of the memory.
Autin, F., & Croizet, J. C. (2012). Improving working memory efficiency by reframing metacognitive interpretation of task difficulty. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 141 (4), 610.
Description of the purpose
The purpose of this article is to explain how the working memory capacity can be improved. The capacity of individuals to store and process information can be reduced by situational factors such as cognitive fatigue and sleep deprivation. The working memory capacity can be improved by engaging cognitive training. When an individual engages in intensive practice in relation to target task the performance of working memory improves. The aim of the study was to determine if working memory can be improved through cognitive training.
Method
A random sample of 111 students in the sixth grade of which 51were boys and 60 were girls with a mean age of 11.42. The participants were randomly provided with one of the three conditions which were standard, difficult with reframing and difficult without reframing. The tasks were presented the children in form of laboratory exercise which could not have an effect on their academic ability and grades. Individuals in the difficulty without framing and those in the difficulty with framing conditions were required to fill the difficult anagrams. The anagrams were set in such a manner that they prevent the students from easily finding the answer. This made all the participants fail. In addition, a working memory test was performed among the participants by listening span task. The participants were required to listen to a various series of sentences and for every sentence, they were expected to quickly indicate and accurately press a button whether the sentence made sense or not and they were supposed to memorize the last word. Finally, the children were asked to state out loud the words they could remember in order of the presentation.
Another study was conducted in the article to further determine the impact of reframing difficulty. The aim of the study was to determine if the interventions of individuals could improve the downstream process that relies on working memory capacity. The sample consisted of 131 students, 11-year-olds 65 boys, and 66 girls). They were provided with a difficult test that was supposed to be for the older children. The difficulty in the anagrams was reduced in order to make the participants experience success. The difficulty without reframing and with reframing was identical to the one in study 1.
Results
The results of study 1 show that the efficiency of the working memory can be improved within 10 min without necessarily having an intensive cognitive training, but by an intervention that is designed to alter the metacognitive definition of difficulty. The result of the second study shows that reframing difficulty in the learning process leads to an improved reading comprehension which is an ability that depends on working memory. It also shows that failing with reframing provides a more cognitive benefit than succeeding.
Conclusion
A short psychological intervention helps in improving the efficiency of the working memory as the working memory is said to predict achievement concerning complex activities. By reframing metacognition, will provide general befits such improving the ability of individuals to manipulate and retain information.
Granholm, A. C., Bimonte-Nelson, H. A., Moore, A. B., Nelson, M. E., Freeman, L. R., & Sambamurti, K. (2008). Effects of a saturated fat and high cholesterol diet on memory and hippocampal morphology in the middle-aged rat. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , 14 (2), 133-145 .
Description of the purpose
The aim of the study is to determine if saturated fats and high cholesterol have an effect on cognitive performance. The total caloric intake and saturated fats intake have increased in the U.S, thus increasing the cases of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Therefore, this articles tried to determine the relationship between obesity and cognitive performance.
Methods
16-month old rats were used in the study and the study was achieved by feeding the rats with cholesterol (2%) and saturated fat (10%) which is composed of sat fat and hydrogenated coconut for 8 weeks. Weight and food intake test was conducted every week throughout the experiment. Also, reference memory and working were tested simultaneously by use of 8-am water redial maze. A quantitative analysis of immunohistochemical was conducted to determine the density of the image. A triglycerides GPO reagent was applied in measuring the triglyceride serum concentration.
Results
Sat fat did not alter the weight of the rats or increase their weight. The rats fed with cholesterol were seen to have working memory errors when compared to those that were fed with sat fat. The results of the study showed that hydrogenated and saturated fatty acids which have been supplemented in form of hydrogenated oil including cholesterol diet changes brain morphology and behavior when compared to rats that were fed with low cholesterol diet.
Conclusion
The study provides a significant evidence that hydrogenated coconut oil and cholesterol has a negative effect on and hippocampal morphology and memory function. Cholesterol leads to memory errors which therefore affects the functioning of the brain.
General conclusion
In conclusion, there three ways through which the function of the memory can be improved which are engaging in physical activities, reframing metacognitive interpretation of task difficulty, and reducing cholesterol intake. The three techniques will help individuals improve the functionality of their brain and stay mentally sharp. The public can also be educated concerning how obesity affects their brain functionality and taught how to improve it.
References
Autin, F., & Croizet, J. C. (2012). Improving working memory efficiency by reframing metacognitive interpretation of task difficulty. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 141 (4), 610.
Granholm, A. C., Bimonte-Nelson, H. A., Moore, A. B., Nelson, M. E., Freeman, L. R., & Sambamurti, K. (2008). Effects of a saturated fat and high cholesterol diet on memory and hippocampal morphology in the middle-aged rat. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , 14 (2), 133-145.
Sánchez-Horcajo, R., Llamas-Alonso, J., & Cimadevilla, J. M. (2015). Practice of aerobic sports is associated with better spatial memory in adults and older men. Experimental aging research , 41 (2), 193-203.
