Memory Activity Book
This is a review of the book “Memory Activity Book” .
Date: April 14, 2022
Best place to buy: Amazon.com
Price: $10.99 (paperback)
Boost your memory with activities for improving brain health. This amazing book is a must for anyone trying to improve his/her memory!
Every day, you make use of various types of memory and supportive thinking skills―and you want them to be as sharp as possible. With more than 100 exercises that target cognitive function, this memory book can help you get better at absorbing information and recalling it whenever you want. You’ll learn about six key thinking skills, how they’re used in everyday life, and techniques for working more effectively with each one.
- Enhance cognitive function―Explore focused exercises that help you harness your cognitive skills, including short-term memory, attention to detail, and processing speed.
- Build memory over time―Find exercises that start super simple and grow more complex so you can progressively increase your memory.
- Optimize brainpower―Get pointers for supercharging your brain health through nutrition, exercise, sleep, and more.
Keep your mind sharp for life with evidence-based activities for strengthening your memory.
In many ways, thinking is an art. In the field of psychology and brain science, The general consensus is that, using our mind in novel and fun ways is one aspect of keeping it ready and able to optimally experience life. Fun is key, do we both engage in and enjoy the process of learning. The balance between engaging and stressing our mind is apparent in the findings of Dr. Mihaly Csikssentmihalyi, who wrote about the flow state, that activity – in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Novelty is also worth highlighting because, if we keep doing the same thing day in and day out, we’re unlikely to challenge our mind enough to access the full extent of our abilities. This book of activities is designed to give some food for thought and strategies on how to think and memorize effectively.
Each of the Six Key Thinking Skills has one chapter devoted to it (here are the chapters of this interesting book:
Chapter 1 – What Is Memory, Again?
Our memories of this moment, our ability to hold all the details in mind, such as the words in this sentence, depend on a type of memory called “Working Memory”. In other words, our own recollection of events.
Memory and the brain:
While all parts of the brain are important for various purposes, such as keeping your heart beating or moving your eyes across this page, certain parts of the brain play a key role in memory. Additionally memory comes in different forms, each form drawing on different parts of the brain. The hippocampus is the keystone of memory. The main type of memory associated with the hippocampus is declarative memory.
Procedural memory is a type of nondeclaracitve memory , meaning you may not be able to tell people what you know how to do, but you can show them. The basal ganglia is another brain structure that assists in this type of memory, as well as working memory.
How does your brain determine what is worth remembering? Our emotional response which is driven by our amygdala, plays a part in this process. The general rule is that a stronger emotional response leads to better memory formation. These are just a few of the key regions of the brain that we rely upon for our memories.
Chapter 2 – Repeat After Me (Short-Term Memory)
Our memories of this moment, our ability to hold all the details in mind, such as the words in this sentence, depend on a type of memory called “Working Memory”. In other words, our own recollection of events.
Primary memory relies on (and is refreshed by or replaced by) incoming sensory information. This makes primary memory a bit squirrelly. We’re constantly exposed to new sensory information. If we’re not able to harness the new sensory information arriving in primary memory (using our working memory), we’re likely to lose it. Only about four pieces of information can stay put in our minds at one time.
Attention is key to primary memory. It’s like a spotlight: It can be diffused or focal. Diffuse attention is broad and sweeping. Focal attention concentrates on sensory information from a small area. Switching attention is another aspect of attention. The book concentrates on exercising broad attention to details and relationships among different sights and sounds and ways to track those details effectively.
In our everyday lives, we utilize primary memory frequently. While primary memory is rather limited, we can work with it using the technique (clumping information into sets) as well as using our visuospatial sketch pad (the mental chalkboard your mind uses to retain and work with visual information such as shapes, colors and patterns). You can also use this method to remember phone numbers. As we go through our day, we rely heavily on our senses and the information they provide, such as when monitoring the road while driving, engaging in conversations, or even listing to music.
Our memories of this moment, our ability to hold all the details in mind, such as the words in this sentence, depend on a type of memory called “Working Memory”. In other words, our own recollection of events.
Examples
Here are 2 examples of the problems in this chapter (Eye-Catchers, and Building), with answers on p. 108:
Exercise 1 – EYE-CATCHERS – EAGLE –
Eye-Catchers – Study the EAGLE picture for 30 seconds. Turn to the next page and answer the following questions taking your best guesses:
- How many feather tips are at the end of each wing.
- Which direction is the eagle facing
- Is the tail pointing up, down, to the side, or at an angle?
- What color is the eagle’s head?
- Are the eagle’s talons open or closed?
Answers (p. 108):
- 12, or 6 on each wing.
- Left
- At an angle
- White/cream
- Closed
Exercise 2 – Building –
Study the following picture for 30 seconds. Turn to the next page and answer the following questions:
- Is an elevator present?
- What colors) is the floor?
- How many semi-circular railings are visible?
- How many people are present?
Answers:
- No
- Red, orange, black, grey
- 5
- No
Chapter 3 – Watch It Work (Working Memory)
Without working memory, we’d be stuck doing whatever reflexes and conditioned behaviors we had developed. You wouldn’t be able to calculate a tip in your head or tailor a verbal response before saying it.
Here is an example of the problems in this chapter (Chunking Suggestion) p. 37 wording & answer from p. 109
Chunking Suggestion: Chunk the following states into categories: Try to come up with a few different chunking options:
Nevada , California, Florida, Nebraska, Maine, North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Vermont, Connecticut
Answers: Chunking Suggestions: East/West, ending in “a” or not
Chapter 4 – Remember That Time (Long-Term Memory)
Long-term memory is our ability to hold on to information over long periods of time, for minutes, days, or even years. In our everyday lives, we rely on long-term memory to navigate both new and old situations.
Here is an example of the problems in this chapter (Trivia Recall) wording p. 61 and answer on p. 111.
Trivia Recall: Drawing on your memory or science and invention, answer the following questions. If you do not know the answer to any question, check the answer key. Then return in 24 hours and see if you remember them.
- Who discovered gravity and when
- Who invented the motor-operated airplane?
- What is the symbol of the chemical element GOLD?
- When did he Iron Age begin?
Answers:
- Sir Isaac Newton (1687)
- The Wright Brothers (1903)
- AU
- 1200 BCE and 60 BCE, depending on the region
Chapter 5 – Putting It All Together (Executive Functioning)
When you think about executive functioning, (EF), think of a corporate executive and all the activities they engage in, from monitoring progress to strategizing the next big move. Similarly, your executive abilities allow you to move through the world in an organized fashion, adjusting course as needed, based on feedback from your environment.
Here is an example of the problems in this chapter (Moving Parts) wording pn p. 69 and and answer on p. 113
Moving Parts – Exercise 1
An elevator holds 4 people and travels from floor 1 to 5. There are 25 people on the first floor. Three people are afraid of heights and don’t want to travel higher than the third floor. What is the fewest number of trips (up and back down = 1) needed to get five people to each floor? (Tip: use scratch paper, draw the floors, and circle groups or cross out people as you go.)
Answers:
5: Only 4 floors need filling because the first floor is already brimming with people. You can more people at a rate of four per trip, so it will take five trips to move all 20 people to their respective floors. (You can leave the people who have a fear of heights on the first floor).
Chapter 6 – Hey, What’s That – And That (Attention and Flexibility)
In contrast to brief and shallow attention, our ability to hold our focus on one target (sustained attention) is something we have to make a special effort to cultivate. There is a lot of information out there, so our ability to select what we pay attention to (selective attention) becomes extremely valuable.
Chapter 7 – Check the Clock – Processing Speed
Most of what we do require a blend of prioritizing accuracy or speed. For instance, we generally know when to take all the time needed to make sure we file our taxes accurately (prioritizing accuracy). It’s quite difficult to improve both speed and accuracy at the same time, but with practice and good strategies, it can be possible to progress a little more quickly while maintaining and even improving accuracy.
PROS
Anyone interested in developing his or her memory will love this amazing book! It is replete with easy-to-replicate brain exercises!
CONS
We cannot think of any “CONS” with this book.
We hope you have enjoyed our review of the “Memory Activity Book” and that you will report back to us the progress that you’re making developing your memory with it. Please leave us a comment on our website.
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