Change Locations

Change Locations

Changing location sounds like it doesn't have anything to do with memory and learning, so how does it tie into the rest of this chapter?

Our memories are not just triggered when we want to recall them consciously. They are sometimes unconsciously triggered because they are associated with everything that was present when we made that memory. That's why smells or songs can instantly transport us to another time and place. The smell or song was present when the memory was formed, and thus a single memory can have multiple triggers, conscious or not.

A significant portion of our cognition and thinking occurs unconsciously, and it would be foolish of us to not integrate this into our learning practices. Why not use our primitive brains to help us remember facts and concepts, instead of just making us hungry and thirsty?

This tactic is about the phenomenon that studying the same material in different locations and environments helps memory retention. This is known as context-dependent memory, and it is based on findings that learning is not very exclusive when it occurs. In fact it is very inclusive.

Narrator: 01:13

A study by Robert Bjork found that information is remembered and encoded into our memory holistically. This means that if you study Spain in an aquarium, your memory will associate the two subconsciously. Your memory will also associate what you wore that day, what you ate, the smells in the aquarium, and what stood out visually in your environment. As far as your memory is concerned, they'll all be lumped together with the specific information you are trying to remember or learn. Information is information to the brain, whether it comes from a textbook or our senses or the environment.

This means two things.

First, that it is possible to evoke the memory of Spain just by being exposed to the same smells and visual stimuli. If they are part of your overall memory of the information, then they will act to remind you of the rest of it. In other words, if you studied Spain in an aquarium and see a picture of an aquarium, it's entirely possible that it will remind you of the information you learned about Spain. Lots of unconscious associations have the ability to trigger information that you consciously want.

Second, if you change locations frequently while learning and processing the same information, you are strengthening your memory because it will be associated with multiple locations, smells, and general stimuli to make you remember it. Researchers deemed this increased neural scaffolding. Simply put, for one piece of information about Spain, you can have ten different environmental factors that can help you recall it from memory. The more stimuli that triggers that memory or information, the more deeply it is encoded in your memory like a growing web.

What does this mean for you? You should change locations as frequently as possible while learning the same information. If you can't change your scenery completely, change what's on your desk, the music you are listening to - anything that impacts any of your five senses. The more change of stimuli, the more roots the information will take to your brain.

Scientists have found other links between what memories can be associated with. Ruth Propper of Montclair State University found that even muscle contractions, namely a clenched right fist, could be subconsciously associated with information and memory if done simultaneously. One group of participants clenched a ball with their right fists while performing a memory task, while other groups either had no ball at all or clenched their left fists.

The first group routinely performed the best. Why does this work? It could be similar to why changing locations increases memory retention, because the more stimuli, the more cues for the information. Just think of these phenomena as creating more roads to the information you want in your brain. Each time you switch locations or associate the information with something else, you build more roads for easier access and deeper encoding.

For instance, if you are studying and learning from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., that's six hours. You can plan to switch locations every two hours. This helps with your contextual encoding and retrieval. To take it to the next level, you can add in different temperatures, sounds, smells, and sights for each location - each of the five senses can help you make and recall memories.

To take full advantage of everything these scientific studies have demonstrated, expose yourself to different situations, locations, and contexts while studying. Split your study session into different locations and stimuli every hour or two. Switch locations. Mix things up and make it a habit to move around. Remember, this is what gives your information more roots to take hold in your brain and to be recalled with.

Though we typically eschew absorbing information passively, it actually works to our favor in this case - for indirect information. You don't even need to be paying specific attention to the environmental factors to gain the benefits of being there.