Most of us have a fairly good sense of how we fare on indirect tests of memory, such as quizzes and exams. But we usually have a much vaguer notion of the power of our everyday memory. Here are some questions that will help you explore your personal memory strengths and weaknesses.
Names From The Past
How strong are your memories of schooldays? Most of us can remember close friends but are less sure about other children – even those in the same class. So, how many people can you name from your class when you were ten years old? Try making a list with first names and surnames, if possible.
- Ten or more people is good. You probably had the most success with remembering people who went through several years of school with you.
- Now, try to describe what your schoolmates looked like. Give yourself bonus points for any details you can remember. Most of us remember hair color first, followed by general build, and very little else.
A Memory For Facts
Think back to yesterday’s news – whether you read it in a newspaper, heard it on the radio, or saw it on television. How many different news stories can you remember?
- If you can come up with three or more topics and a rough outline of the stories, you are doing well.
- Give yourself extra points for memory power if you can remember some names, locations, or other details accurately.
Shopping Without A-List
How good are you at shopping when you have left your list at home? Read through the following list of 15 foods just once, concentrating hard on each word, but don’t take longer than a minute for the whole list.
Now, put aside this book and try to write down the items from the list. How many did you remember? See how your score compares with the average score for this task in your age group:
- 18 to 40-year-olds – 10 items
- 40 to 60-year-olds – 9 items
- 60 to 70-year-olds – 8 items
- 70 plus – 7 items.
Test how closely you pay attention to items that you use regularly. List all the objects that you think might be in your bag or briefcase at this moment. Then, see how close you were by checking your bag.
- Give yourself a point for every correct item that appears on your list.
- Deduct a point for each object that you wrongly imagined to be there.
What is your final score? An averagely attentive person should get a little more than half of the maximum possible score. Anything higher is excellent.
How Did You Do?
If you did well in all the tasks, your memory power should come as no surprise to you. You probably find that you can rely on your memory in most real-life situations. However, most people find they fare better on particular types of memory tasks. For example, you may have performed well on straight facts but have a hazier recollection of events from your past. If you were disappointed with your results in some areas, don’t worry – poor to average memory can be improved dramatically with training. You will find a number of strategies that help with memory tasks like these throughout this book, so you may want to return to these tests later to see how much better you can do.
