How Memory is Gained

In the previous 3 articles, we took a look at what memory is and how it functions. In this article, we will look at how our brain actually acquires, then consolidates and finally retrieves the information that it has placed in our memory.

1. Acquisition

Any new information that enters the brain will go along the pathways between the neurons and those areas where it needs to be stored. In order for our brains to encode this information, your memory needs to concentrate, and unless you can focus intently on the information that you are trying to memorize, you will find that as the old saying goes “it goes in one ear and out the other”. This is why many teachers will often be found pushing their students to actually pay attention to what they are being taught during their lessons.

2. Consolidation of Memories

Because you have concentrated on encoding the new information in your brain, the hippocampus will now send a signal to it to store this information as a long term memory. You will find that this happens more easily when the information you’re retaining relates to something that you already know about, or if it happens to stimulate an emotional response in you.