The conundrum of memory

[billeyler]

As long as I can remember, memory and how it's so varied among different people has fascinated me. What explains my ability to extemporaneously call square dancing patterns, weaving new ones out of thin air? In general, I have a hard time with remembering things. It must be a different part of the brain than the standard memory synapses.

Names: Average, and sliding downward the more people I meet.
Events: Way Below average. Either the memory gets tucked behind corners I never use, or they blur together and I can't untangle them into anything sensible.
Numbers: Average and losing the ability to even remember phone numbers. Dyslexia is a problem, too. That probably comes from nearly 30 years as a financial accountant where Numbers R Us ad nauseum.
Faces: Above average, but putting names to them can be a challenge
Facts: Above average, but random in where they come from and what they apply to
Square dance calls and patterns: Above average, but that could be from familiarity?
Perceptions: Below average. My memories never seem to jive with anyone else on the same issues.
Words: Average. I can pull a big word out of the air and use it quickly, but am having trouble putting common words together verbally...in my mind, yes. Out of the mouth, no.

Wonder how LJ folk have analyzed there own memory issues...

Comments

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't want this to turn into "Old Farts Discuss Their Disabilities," but I have a lot of the same issues. The connections fade and voluntary access to some memories gets harder. OTOH, the brain has been proven to contain special hardware for facial recognition, navigation, and pattern recognition, and it's not unusual for those faculties to perform well while the associated (more cultural and less biological) skills of remembering the names that go with the faces, the meaning of social incidents, etc etc fall by the wayside. It's sort of scary when you realize you're just a standing wave on a sea of increasingly-inaccesible memory. But it should be some consolation that your fans will still want to touch you even as you begin drooling into your mike. :-)



[was that too rough?]

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

Classic! :-) Considering I DID drool into my microphone on Saturday night.

Thanks for the, uh, what were we talking about again?

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

Names of human beings are a problem for me. Names of pets aren't. Go figure. More than once, I've walked down the street and recognized a dog but couldn't for the life of me remember ever meeting the person walking the pooch. "Give me a sec... you're Sparky's human, right?" I suspect this is because I sometimes find people's pets more quirky & interesting than their owners.

Past events aren't a problem for me, sometimes down to specific dates. Remembering scheduling of future events is an issue.

My Palm Pilot is my constand companion these days, as my extended memory. It contains 1360 address records, 2819 calendar entries, 697 task items and a number of Word & text documents, spreadsheets and PDF files. Now if I could just find a belt clip that fits with my chaps...