MEMORY AND LEARNING

 MEMORY AND LEARNING

There is a misconception among some of us that learning and memory are more or less the same. The two [m/l] are related but, are different domains; memory relates to ‘remembering’ while learning pertains to ‘clear grasp of a concept/ idea /event /process to the extent of what we learned. For instance certain names like ‘ammunition’ or war are more remembered than are understood.  However, to understand something, one has to proceed step by step and in right sequence; but memory does not have any rigid sequence.

Does it mean that memory is something of ready ‘acceptance’?  It is not that simple.  To remember a thing [retaining in memory] two things are essential. 1 In the first instance, the item must be carefully received along with its basic meaning.

Without knowing a meaning, the term relating to it can turn volatile in time [minute/ hour/ day or at best after days]. 2 The item /term learnt stays in memory if the item is in a way related to something. This is termed ‘associational memory’. The two things so related help to recall each other as mutual reminders. For instance, by listening to a movie song our mind travels down the ‘memory lane’ and seeks to recall the then circle of friends or the locale where we got the first glimpse of the song or the scene.   It is a clear case of one leading to the other.

But, the most significant component of associational memory is-- items of pleasant company or of no serious rigidity like facing an examination are retained far better than are certain ‘compulsive’ needs. The volatile feature of ‘examination requirements’      is merely based on the low inclination with which the learner receives the item in the first instance. [Item number 1 given above].

Our memory of jokes/comic pieces seems quite stable because there is no pressure to hold them in place. That is why I generally prescribe to learners not to tax the memory by forcibly memorizing things; instead understand a thing and it will be yours. So, memory based on understanding is more viable than a learning based on memory. This subtlety is the key determinant of genuine success a comprehension-based output   as against that of ephemeral success [score-centric results]. So, comprehension should precede memory and not vice-versa.