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Making Memories (November 5, 2004, One)

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Program Summary

Don’t look. Can you remember what color your socks are? Remember what you got for your last birthday? How about your telephone number or your multiplication tables? How do we learn something and turn it into memory? And what makes a memory last?

In this hour, Ira and his guest, Julie Kauer, take a trip inside the brain to see the latest research into how memories are made. They discuss what happens inside your brain when you learn something, how memories are formed, and why some stick and some fly away. New research might be helpful for people suffering from memory disorders.

Guests

Julie Kauer, professor of medical science in the department of molecular pharmacology, physiology & biotechnology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Related Links and Resources

For Discussion:

· How do people learn?
· What is a memory?
· What is short-term memory?
· What is long-term memory?

Activities

Zany brainy. For a very cool tour through a 3-D virtual brain, check out PBS’s Secret Life of the Brain. You can zoom in and out, rotate and pull up information on each area. The search also allows you to focus on sections of the brain by function as well as by area. For more general brainy stuff, try Neuroscience for Kids. It’s a great all-around site with clear, concise information on brain anatomy and function, along with a bunch of activities and interactive elements.

Do you remember? DiscoverySchool.com challenges students to tackle the mysteries of the brain in Mind over Matter: How Does the Brain Work?. The human brain, perhaps more than any other organ, has mystified scientists throughout history. In this activity, students use a variety of resources to research questions such as: Why do we retain some memories and lose others? And how do our senses affect memory?

This is your brain on Everest. Test Your Brain from Nova Online Adventures is an interesting look at what might affect memory and brain function. Created to see how lack of oxygen affects mountain climbers, these tests are fun to take, and range from memory challenges to verbal puzzles to listening skills and speed of comprehension.

Old brain new tricks. In Pieces of Mind from Scientific American Frontiers, students examine and analyze the effects of various stimuli on memory. The activities are designed to sharpen their memory skills through Mnemonic devices, associations, visual recall and memory maps.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

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