Prompt Cast
How the Internet is Changing the Way We Learn and Form Memories
TLDR This podcast episode explores the impact of the internet on our learning and memory formation. It discusses the different types of memory, the encoding process, and the importance of practicing and repetition for strengthening neural connections.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode discusses how the internet and our interactions with it are changing the way we learn, absorb information, and form memories.
04:10
Memories are what make us who we are, and there are multiple systems in the brain responsible for different types of memory, as proven by the case of patient H.M. who could maintain old memories but couldn't form new ones after a lobectomy and removal of his hippocampus.
07:58
The encoding process of memory begins with perception, which is rooted in our senses, and involves the hippocampus sorting and storing important information.
12:11
The hippocampus and frontal cortex work together to efficiently filter and encode important information, while disregarding unnecessary details, and the brain's neurons constantly form new connections and change shape through practice and repetition.
16:00
Practicing a skill repeatedly strengthens neural connections, allowing for faster and more efficient performance, but if connections are not used, they can wither and die, demonstrating a "use it or lose it" aspect to neural connections.
19:52
Long-term memory is a dormant neural projection that consists of different neural connections, and it can be activated again, while short-term memory is active and working memory involves consciously keeping something in mind.
23:34
The three stages of keeping a memory around are awareness, retention, and retrieval, and any breakdown in these stages can cause difficulty in remembering something.
27:22
As we age, our memories can decline, but staying mentally stimulated and engaging in activities that exercise the brain can help maintain memory function.
31:21
While you're sleeping, your brain fires neural connections and creates perception, which is likely the best explanation for dreams.
Categories:
Society & Culture
