Answers FAQ
Memory FAQs
Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on December 5, 2018
Test your Knowledge!
- Most adults can't remember anything that happened before they were 3 years old. True or false?
- Sleep helps turn short-term memories into long-term memories. True or false?
- What helps the short-term memory become long-term?
- What causes a long-term memory to fade?
- Seeing a dry cleaning receipt in your wallet is likely to help you to remember to pick it up. True or false?
- What kinds of triggers can cause memory problems?
- Everyone will have some memory loss as they get older. True or false?
- Everyone will have some memory loss as they get older. True or false?
- Blood pressure and memory loss are related. True or false?
- Specific activities can help older people maintain a good memory. True or false?
- When an older person forgets where he parked the car, it may be caused by a lack of attention rather than a lapse in memory. True or false?
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Q:Most adults can't remember anything that happened before they were 3 years old. True or false?
A:True.
You might recall one or two events before you were 4, but not much before you were 3. Children begin to identify objects around them (semantic memories) by 10 to 12 months. They remember things that happened earlier in time (episodic memories) by 20 to 24 months. You may not be able to form memories solid enough to survive into adulthood until you can think about what happened in words
Q:Sleep helps turn short-term memories into long-term memories. True or false?
A:True.
The human sleep cycle is crucial to making memories. If something important happens to you during the day, your brain strengthens your thoughts and feelings about the event overnight while you rest.
Q:What helps the short-term memory become long-term?
A:Details stored in your mind's data banks can be sorted in three categories: short-term; long-term (or remote); and recent (or working).
A short-term memory must have some kind of impact for you to store it. The more ties there are between that memory and your bank of long-term memories, the easier it'll be for you to recall it.
Q:What causes a long-term memory to fade?
A:Once data has been stored in your long-term memory, it's there forever.
However, you can't always call it up because the link (or association) has faded. Short-term memories vanish quickly, sometimes after only a few seconds. And recent, or working, memories are often replaced by new info.
Q:Seeing a dry cleaning receipt in your wallet is likely to help you to remember to pick it up. True or false?
A:True.
Remembering to do something, like run an errand or take daily medication, is called "prospective" memory. Following through on this type of task is tied more to a trigger, like seeing a dry cleaning receipt or driving past a pharmacy, than to having the task committed to memory.
Q:What kinds of triggers can cause memory problems?
A:Trouble with total recall can come from many physical and mental conditions not related to aging, like dehydration, infections, and stress.
Other causes include medications, substance abuse, poor nutrition, depression, anxiety, and thyroid imbalance.
Q:Everyone will have some memory loss as they get older. True or false?
A:False.
Yes, memory trouble does come with age, but not everyone has it. People who are more active, both mentally and physically, tend to have a better working memory than people who don't move often, or don't do much to challenge their minds.
Q:Everyone will have some memory loss as they get older. True or false?
A:True.
Studies show that older folks who stay socially active or live with someone also have better mental function.
Q:Blood pressure and memory loss are related. True or false?
A:True.
High blood pressure can affect blood vessels that supply your brain and lead to memory loss. The reverse also may be true: Studies show aerobic exercise which can help lower blood pressure may improve your memory.
Q:Specific activities can help older people maintain a good memory. True or false?
A:True.
Do a word puzzle. Take a brisk walk. Brain teasers and physical activity can both help maintain mental function and preserve memory. Meditation may benefit seniors with memory problems in just eight weeks.
Q:When an older person forgets where he parked the car, it may be caused by a lack of attention rather than a lapse in memory. True or false?
A:True.
As you get older, it's hard to keep your mind on more than one thing at a time. So if you're talking to someone while parking the car, you may not recall where you left it. Stay focused on what you're doing and it'll be easier to find that memory later.
Source quiz on MedicineNet