5 ms·

The conclusions are expected, however it is nice to have experimental confirmation. Now we just need to figure out what are they doing differently to enable suc

The conclusions are expected, however it is nice to have experimental confirmation. Now we just need to figure out what are they doing differently to enable such phenomenal recall. "We investigated recall of recent and remote, predominantly routine, events in HSAMs and controls. Interestingly, HSAMs and controls recall the same amount of information when tested within a few days (up to a week). Beyond this, HSAM participants forget autobiographical details at a far slower rate than do age- and sex-matched controls. Furthermore, in comparison with controls, HSAM participants maintain more richly detailed recollections and their forgetting curve for autobiographical memory is shallow, which should come as no surprise given the nature of their memory (LePort et al., 2012). The data here suggest that HSAMs are not better than controls in acquiring information. However, they are far superior at retaining information."

zamalek 8y ago
> are not better than controls in acquiring information My earliest memory is 2 weeks after 4 (I am now 31). I can remember it down to the most intricate detail. I cannot for the life of me remember the tasks I am looking at this sprint (which is why I write them down). Memories seemingly become more accessible the more time has passed; facts too, I can recall the vast majority of my high school syllabus despite being someone who a solid C-grade student. This is the first time hearing about HSAMs, but based on personal experience I would posit that it has more to do with how memories are accessed, not how they are stored.
- gowld 8y ago
  1. Do you know your memory is accurate? 2. By constantly replaying the memory, you strengthen it. How much do you remember from the day after your earliest memory?
  - officialjunk 8y ago
    2. there’s actually no such thing as “read-only” from our memory. it’s closer to “read and then rewrite.” so, it can change over time and often become less accurate the more you access memories.
    - lloydde 8y ago
      Patient H.M. would seem to be counter evidence to your assertion. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Molaison https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Molaison
      - wjn0 8y ago
        I don't think so. > For post-1953 information he was able to modify old memories with new information. For instance, he could add a memory about Jonas Salk by modifying his memory of polio. Additionally, the surgery he had, caused him to have a very... unique neurological structure. I'd hesitate to generalize his experiences directly that way.
  - lamename 8y ago
    where strengthen = strengthen some version of it that very likely morphs further and further from actual events
  - zamalek 8y ago
    1. No idea, there isn't any way to corroborate the memory as it was pretty benign (a brief argument with my sister over how old I was). 2. About 2 minutes on that day alone. The next memory occurs maybe 1 year later.
JoshMnem 8y ago
> Now we just need to figure out what are they doing differently to enable such phenomenal recall. The feat can be reproduced by a trained memorizer. I would be very surprised if people with HSAM are not regularly reviewing events in some way. From a different source: > People with HSAM tend to obsess over events (even mundane ones) more than the average person. They ruminate over what happened during the day and organize everything in their minds over and over again. > In fact, they often report “habitually recalling their memories, a seemingly compulsive tendency,” noted Aurora K.R. LePort and her colleagues. “Every night before bed one participant recalls what occurred on that day X number of years ago. Another recalls, while stuck in traffic, as many days as possible from a certain year.”

zamalek 8y ago

> are not better than controls in acquiring information My earliest memory is 2 weeks after 4 (I am now 31). I can remember it down to the most intricate detail. I cannot for the life of me remember the tasks I am looking at this sprint (which is why I write them down). Memories seemingly become more accessible the more time has passed; facts too, I can recall the vast majority of my high school syllabus despite being someone who a solid C-grade student. This is the first time hearing about HSAMs, but based on personal experience I would posit that it has more to do with how memories are accessed, not how they are stored.

gowld 8y ago
1. Do you know your memory is accurate? 2. By constantly replaying the memory, you strengthen it. How much do you remember from the day after your earliest memory?
- officialjunk 8y ago
  2. there’s actually no such thing as “read-only” from our memory. it’s closer to “read and then rewrite.” so, it can change over time and often become less accurate the more you access memories.
  - lloydde 8y ago
    Patient H.M. would seem to be counter evidence to your assertion. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Molaison https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Molaison
    - wjn0 8y ago
      I don't think so. > For post-1953 information he was able to modify old memories with new information. For instance, he could add a memory about Jonas Salk by modifying his memory of polio. Additionally, the surgery he had, caused him to have a very... unique neurological structure. I'd hesitate to generalize his experiences directly that way.
- lamename 8y ago
  where strengthen = strengthen some version of it that very likely morphs further and further from actual events
- zamalek 8y ago
  1. No idea, there isn't any way to corroborate the memory as it was pretty benign (a brief argument with my sister over how old I was). 2. About 2 minutes on that day alone. The next memory occurs maybe 1 year later.

JoshMnem 8y ago

> Now we just need to figure out what are they doing differently to enable such phenomenal recall. The feat can be reproduced by a trained memorizer. I would be very surprised if people with HSAM are not regularly reviewing events in some way. From a different source: > People with HSAM tend to obsess over events (even mundane ones) more than the average person. They ruminate over what happened during the day and organize everything in their minds over and over again. > In fact, they often report “habitually recalling their memories, a seemingly compulsive tendency,” noted Aurora K.R. LePort and her colleagues. “Every night before bed one participant recalls what occurred on that day X number of years ago. Another recalls, while stuck in traffic, as many days as possible from a certain year.”