short time memory and outliner software

Posted by Guido
Mar 27, 2008 at 01:10 PM

Alexander, you are right. Research shows that it is the pattern we use to process in our short - term memory that is registered in our long - time memory. Stephen confounds short - time memory with ultra - short - time memory which indeed is used for very very short but necessary reactions so as crossing the road when the lights are green etc. and for that reason has to be quickly evacuated.

Not so for short - time memory. When reading a book, you use your long - time memory for the context and your short - time memory for the new information. You simply cannot process information i.g. learn, understand, think without short time memory.

Being limited to seven items would be quite frustrating. We have to build chunks of information. An experienced “speed-” reader is used to deal with a whole phrase as one chunk and remembers up to three, four, five phrases in his short - time memory. An unexperienced “slow” reader deals with one word or two = one chunk and has to re-read frequently.

When using outliner software or, better, mind - mapping software we should be aware of the brain’s necessity of chunking information. Creating huge lists simply will not help to learn, to memorise and finally to understand better. I propose to create a network of Mind-Maps that have not more than 4 or 5 main branches and 5 or 6 levels ( childs to each branch ). By repeating the Mind-Map, it will become one chunk with the time and you will be able to memorise 4, 5, 6 Mind-Maps and so on.