Can Memory Improve On Its Own: The Science Behind Memory and Time
Has Science Ever Proved That Memory Diminishes Over Time?
Can memory improve on its own? We often assume memory decays over time, but has this ever been scientifically proven? In this post, we’ll explore the scientific facts about memory and time, starting with whether science has ever shown that memory deteriorates over time.
Ebbinghaus and the Forgetting Curve
Fig.: Forgetting Curve
Hermann Ebbinghaus, a psychologist in the nineteenth century, conducted the first scientific experiment on this topic. He created strings of nonsensical syllables like RUX, SOQ, WUT, and memorized them. After memorizing these syllables, he tested himself at regular intervals. This process led to the creation of the forgetting curve, a graph that shows memory strength in relation to time. In short, Ebbinghaus’s curve demonstrated that memory does indeed deteriorate over time.
Can Memory Improve On Its Own? The Case of Reminiscence
While the forgetting curve shows that memory can decay over time, there’s also evidence that memory can improve on its own. P.B. Ballard, a researcher, conducted an experiment demonstrating this phenomenon, known as Reminiscence.
Ballard's Experiment: Memory Improvement Over Time
Ballard assigned a poem to a group of students to memorize and tested them immediately. The results were average. He tested them again after a few hours, and their scores improved. After a few days, he tested the students once more, and the average score increased again. The participants had not been informed that they would be tested again, so they couldn’t have practiced the poem. This finding showed that some memories can become stronger with time.
Understanding the "Now You See It, Now You Don't" Phenomenon
Many researchers tried to replicate Ballard’s experiment but failed, leading to the phenomenon being called the “now you see it, now you don’t” phenomenon. Eventually, it was proven that Reminiscence does exist for a limited period of time, particularly for memories that can be visualized, like reading a novel or poem or viewing a photograph. Your memory for this type of information can actually improve over time.
Conclusion: The Dual Nature of Memory
In conclusion, while science has demonstrated that memory does indeed diminish over time, as shown by Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, there’s also evidence that memory can improve on its own under certain conditions. So, the next time you wonder if your memory can improve on its own, remember that it’s a complex and fascinating aspect of our cognitive abilities that continues to be explored by scientists.
The main question, however, is why do we forget? Is there any benefit to forgetting? A detailed artcile explaining why we forget has been created. This is the link to that article. Check that out.
