Exploring the Attention Span of a Student and How Much It Affects the Ability to Remember their Work and for How Long

In Virginia Heffernan’s essay “The Attention-Span Myth,” she argues against the “ineffable quality” (115) associated with the attention span. At first she provides both sides of the attention corruption by technology debate, but then questions the definition of the attention span and its very existence. According to Heffernan, the attention span is an inaccurate tool for measurement, as can be seen by looking at the works of past authors who recognize the virtues of “distractibility” (114). While she addresses the value of a short attention span, Heffernan fails to provide direct evidence in support of her “phantom idea of an attention span” (115) theory. She gets lost in the world of “hyperactive” (114) genius and never quite gets around to thoroughly backing up her concluding argument.

This study investigated which areas other than the hippocampus might be involved in memory. Historically, studies show that is the primary brain area involved in storage of memories. However, Wang, Teixeira, Wheeler , and Frankland (2012) predicted that the precision of the older memories is not dependent on the hippocampus.

Outline and evaluate research in to the duration, capacity and encoding information in short term memory.

Memory is not located in just one spot of the brain, but it is a brain wide process, in which

a) State in your own words what memory span is (based on the information provided in the textbook (page 125), and in your Lab. b) Based on the results you obtained in the experiment: Compare your memory span for digits, letters, and words. (10 points)

Scientist recognize 3 types of memory storage. Sensory memory which I found out last just a few seconds, short term memory, working memory and very important one, long term memory.

Holt N., Bremner A., Sutherland E., Vliek M., Passer M., Smith R. (2012), Psychology The Science Of Mind And Behaviour; The psychodynamic perspective, 246.

The part of the brain that is in charge of memory is called the hippocampus, which is part of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is in charge of thinking, problem solving, and many different kinds of language skills. People that have a problem with their hippocampus can have trouble remembering new details they have taken in. There are also many different parts of the hippocampus that apply directly to the memory. These parts include short-term memory, long-term memory, sensory memory, and the constructive processes. Short-term memory is the information that stays in your brain only when you are thinking about it, about 20 to 30 seconds. After this, it is most likely forgotten. Long-term memory is when your hippocampus keeps track of facts you learn, ideas you have, and experiences. Even when people stop thinking about these things, the memory can last a lifetime. Another part of the hippocampus, sensory memory, remembers information only for one or two seconds. The brain creates a mental image that disappears when you stop directly thinking about a particular thing. The last part of the hippocampus is the constructive processes. Constructive processes are memories that your brain makes up in order to make sense of a detail in which you only remember some of the details. The few details that the brain remembers are combined with other small details that your brain adds in order for it to

A part in the brain called hippocampus is very important to memory. Hippocampus is the vital key to remembering and it is also vital to emotions. It also helps you make new memories so you aren’t just remembering the past. The cerebral cortex is also very important. It helps you do things without you thinking about them. Examples of what the cerebral cortex does is breathing, how to swallow, or to catch yourself before you

I developed and determined my project because I immensely wanted to deal with the human cognition and memory for this year’s science fair. I started to initiate my project when I realized I wanted to work with memory mainly because of the fact that we use our memory for practically every moment in our life. I was also interested with our brain and our nervous system and their basic function. Although I really developed experiment when I was in a math classroom and my teacher decided to play music in the background while my class worked, and I felt quite distracted. Although I found that, many students in the classroom actually worked well with the music on. After that, I started to gain an interest in finding out more about the human

The brain and the distinct parts have countless duties but one of the utmost vital ones is assembly and retain new memory. In the Brain… it says, “Structures within the temporal lobe, a region of the brain near your ears, are responsible for different types of learning.” Page 5. The temporal lobe aids learning and saves the information that can be used later. Learning is key to help humans and animals to survive and thrive. Learning allows living beings to be able to do old tasks and new tasks. “… The hippocampus gathers all of the sensory aspects of the event and conducts soon initial processing of these sensory elements into a neurological format that elements that are not completely understood.” Said in the Brian, page 6. The hippocampus keeps a

Outline the different forms of long-term memory beginning with IMPLICIT and EXPLICIT memory. Include definitions, examples, and discuss the major brain regions involved for each. If more than one brain region is involved, assign a component of the memory to each brain region.

When speaking about memory, one needs to look at the parts of the brain that are

Studying for an extra 60 minutes, added on with another two hours of school homework can be very laborious for teenage students. Especially for one student at Discovery Middle School, Renee Chang. She is currently a participant at the Notre Dame Teen Memory Study located in South Bend, Indiana. She explains to her peers: Allison Nguyen, Sharon Ni, Kayla Edgerly, Erica Cheng, and Adam Poellabauer, who are also participating in the study, the struggles of having over a minimum of three hours of homework each day throughout the week. Chang, 13, had high hopes about this study improving her memory, but is all this ancillary work worthwhile?