Why do we forget?

Thanks to brain training companies, it seems everyone is trying to increase his or her memory. It’s easy to argue that better memory can only positively impact your life, but in fact forgetting serves an equally important role in cognition. Specifically, forgetting is necessary for two reasons- forgetting (especially of details) allows for automatized skills and semantic encoding and forgetting is emotionally adaptive to neglect some painful or negative memories.

First let us examine the case of AJ, a woman with highly superior autobiographic memory. If you were to ask AJ what happened 20 years ago on April 11, she could list exactly what she wore that day, along with all of her activities. Her memory is able to retain an episodic account of nearly every day of her life. However, this ability deeply intrudes on her life. She reports, “Most have called it a gift but I call it a burden. I run my entire life through my head every day and it drives me crazy” (Parker et al., 2006, p. 35). Imagine every time you went to the grocery store, you remembered every other instance of a trip to buy milk. It would be cognitively taxing and unnecessary to sustain all these individual memories. And in fact, a study by Logan and Crump (2009) demonstrated the necessity of losing detailed memory in professional typists, who aren’t able to verbalize where keys are located or how their hands are moving. Yet these workers are still extremely proficient in their job, and when they are asked to explicitly focus on what their hands are doing, their performance suffers. These typists do not have detailed memory of every time they sat down at a keyboard, but their skill demonstrates that a composite of all those experiences meshed together have given them their proficiency. Thus, forgetting may allow for details of episodes to be removed so that abstraction and generalized skill learning can occur.

As mentioned before, forgetting not only benefits cognition, but also assists in emotional stability. Joorman and colleagues (2009), among many others, have demonstrated that depression is linked to an inability to forget negative memories. Perhaps if we were able to remember every embarrassing moment and social faux pas, we would be less likely to take social risks or even engage with others at all. Forgetting negative experiences can help us stay open to new social experiences or maintain important relationships. Going back to the case of AJ, she was diagnosed with both depression and anxiety, maybe because she couldn’t forget her negative experiences. Thus, AJ exemplifies that there is no evolutionary benefit to remembering every negative experience.

Memory is unequivocally important for many functions, but forgetting also serves a purpose in maintaining healthy functioning. Without forgetting, we might be less positive about the future and unwilling to take the big risks that advance science and other fields. We would also be unable to garner abstract information from multiple situations or sources we encounter. Like tow sides of the same coin, forgetting and remembering balance each other.

Works Cited

Joormann, J., Hertel, P. T., LeMoult, J., & Gotlib, I. H. (2009). Training forgetting of negative material in depression. Journal of abnormal psychology, 118(1), 34.

Logan, G. D., & Crump, M. J. (2009). The Left Hand Doesn't Know What the Right Hand Is Doing The Disruptive Effects of Attention to the Hands in Skilled Typewriting. Psychological Science, 20(10), 1296-1300.

Nørby, S. (2015). Why Forget? On the Adaptive Value of Memory Loss.Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 551-578.

Parker, E. S., Cahill, L., & McGaugh, J. L. (2006). A case of unusual autobiographical

            remembering. Neurocase, 12(1), 35-49.

Grad School Life after Europe

I can't believe this week marks the beginning of my second year in graduate school. How did last year fly by so quickly? Or my summer Europe adventure for that matter!

 I returned to Chicago last friday, and this monday was the beginning of my fall courses. I certainly didn't give myself much time to get back into the swing of research. I still need to deal with immediate concerns like starting data collection on my master's thesis and figuring out when I need to submit abstracts for conferences. Oh, and there are also classes to contend with. It's a bit overwhelming to think about how much I want to accomplish this year, but I also feel ready to tackle my projects after my 3 week vacation.

As for my grand Eurotrip 2015, here's a run-down of where I went and what I did:

Gdansk(aka Danzig), Poland:

The main street

        Best Experience: Before my trip, I read a historical fiction piece about Poland. One of my favorite historical events mentioned was the Battle of Grunwald (also called the Battle of Tannenburg) where the combined Lithuanian and Polish forces defeated the Teutonic Knights. Well while in Gdansk, I made a side trip to Malbork to see the world's largest gothic castle- the original seat of the Teutonic knights. The red brick walls and towers just seemed to stretch on forever. It was incredible beautiful and epic!

Malbork Castle, aka Marienberg

 
          Worst Experience: I was an idiot and only gave myself 1.5 days to experience the Baltic Sea, the home of Solidarity (first union allowed by USSR), and smaller nearby towns like Sopot. Now I know that I have to go back!

         Unexpected Architecture: I had no idea that Gdansk would feel so Italian, but the city certainly had that vibe thanks to the Flemish and Italian architects who designed the buildings along the main street. The Polish/Renaissance hybrid was beautiful!





Berlin, Germany:

          Best Experience: I took an 'alternative' walking tour where I learned about the grunge/squatter history of the city, and how the young bohemian lifestyle is still going strong. Basically, I got to meet cool people, drink 1 euro beers, and see incredible graffitti! It helped me understand Berlin after the cold war.

          Worst Experience: While running (yes, literally) from the Reichstag building to where my walking tour would start, a wasp stung me on the neck! I got some ice to keep the swelling down, but what really helped was the 'train beer' as we called it. (You can buy beers along the train platforms and just openly drink in public as you go about your business).
          Best Sightseeing: In my mind, there are 2 main sights that you really shouldn't miss when going to Berlin. The first is the Reichstag building, which is where Germany holds Parliament. You can go up in this beautiful glass dome and listen to an audioguide that describes other famous buildings you see as you ascend the spiral walkway. The other must-see is the Monument to the Murdered Jews. It's a memorial that just has to be experienced. There's no other way to put it.

Looking into the dome from the walkway

I've never experienced a monument like this

Monument of the Murdered Jews

Munich, Germany:

Oktoberfest were for sale EVERYWHERE in Munich

          Best Experience: Beer. Duh. Granted, I visited before Oktoberfest so maybe I didn't get the full Munich experience but I'm quite pleased with how this leg of my journey went. I spent at least one meal a day in a BrauHaus, sitting at a long wooden table, meeting locals who are happy to chat you up and share a pint with you. The community was just fantastic.

Lunch at Hofbrauhaus

 


          Worst Experience: I will say, Munich is an older crowd. There were many times where it felt like when my dad and I go out for beers with his friends. I was generally the odd-man out simply by being young and female. However, everyone was just so warm and lovely that I can't really complain.
          Most Unique Museum: I probably should have realized this, but BMW stands for Bayern MotorWerke so of course the massive BMW plant is in the center of Munich. (Bayern is German for Bavaria, the region Munich is located.) Attached to the plant is a beautifully designed showroom/souvenir stop and a museum about the history of the company. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the architecture of the museum was truly unique and I enjoyed seeing all the old cars. Certainly worth a visit if you need to break up all the beer drinking you're doing.

 




Prague, Czech Republic:

Gotta love beer tastings in Czech Republic, home of Pilzen

          Best Experience: Honestly, Prague was exciting for me because I finally got to meet up with my best childhood friend, Courtney (you can check out her blog here). But besides being able to go on a childhood dream trip with my best friend, we also got to try actual absinthe! The mildly psychoactive kind! The art of serving and pouring a sipping glass of absinthe is really quite lovely and always worth a try.

          Worst Experience: In some ways, I feel like I didn't really experience Prague. We primarily wandered the historical old town and castle hill, which was pretty full of tourists. I would like to have seen more of the city, but we didn't have time.
          Strangest Church: Just outside of Prague is a small town called Kutna Hora. There, you will find the Sedlec Bone Church where 400,000 sets of bones from plague and war were crafted into religious pieces of art in the 14th century. I've never seen anything like it.

Yes. these are all real bones

Vienna, Austria:

Vienna is an expert at fine living! Here's the famous Sacher Tort

          Best Experience: Because we were in Vienna, of course we had to go to the opera! It just seemed like the ideal thing to do! We stood in line for standing tickets, and after paying 3 euro, walked into one of the most lavish performing halls I've ever seen. It was worth paying just to get in! I felt very classy, even though we did have to stand for the whole opera. Next time maybe we'll get real seats.

We saw Rigelotto

          Worst Experience: Overall, Vienna did seem a bit old a stuffy. It didn't have the young creative vibe found in many of the other cities we visited. While I loved learning the history of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, it's not exactly a hip place to visit.
          Most Ornate Palace: During our final day in Vienna, we went to the summer palace of the last hereditary rulers of Austria.Schonbrunn Palace is an 18th century masterpiece of ornate filigree and opulent design. I could not believe how much gilding I saw EVERYWHERE. And the gardens were massive beyond belief! It perfectly demonstrated the power Vienna held over much of Europe for so long. Plus, you know, hedge mazes are way too much fun.

HEDGE MAZE!

Budapest, Hungary:

On Castle Hill

          Best Experience: Ok, I've really really tried but I can't narrow my days in Budapest down into one top experience. The best I can do is cut it down to 2 experiences. The first was the Hungarian wine festival going on in the castle grounds. That's right, I got to try delicious, cheap wines while wandering around the rebuilt castle overlooking the pest side of the city. It was just a magical experience! And I discovered a few new wines (particularly aszu) that I will be hunting for in America. My second top experience was exploring the ruin pubs/bars. Basically, they take old abandoned buildings, fill them with eclectic art, add a bar and open shop! The first one we went to had over 30 rooms with 3 different dance floors across the 3 stories! It was massive and funky and unlike anything I've ever seen. The others we visited were cool too, but this one was by far the best.

Ruin Pub called Instant

          Worst Experience: Budapest was probably the most interesting city we visited, but it wasn't exactly easy to leave. We were somewhat close to being caught in the border closing due to the Syrian immigration crisis. We had to go to the Keleti train station at 6:45am to purchase tickets to Krakow (you couldn't get them online). We actually ended up walking through the tent city that had been erected by the immigrants. We found out later that Hungary closed the border with Austria temporarily, and Germany closed the border with Austria for a bit. Clearly, we were smart to get out when we could.

Instant

          Most Relaxing Experience: Budapest is built along a natural fault line such that there are tons of hot springs peppering the city. These springs have been built upon to create natural hot baths where tourists and locals alike go to relax and unwind. Courtney and I decided to go to the oldest of them, Rudas baths. It was build by the Turks over 500 years ago and little seems to have changed since then. We went for a night bath when it opened at 9pm and we stayed out well past midnight, just enjoying a good soak. I've never felt so utterly at peace.

I might have gone to the wine festival more than once....

Krakow, Poland:

The Krakow Palace

          Best Experience: You would think with several weeks of walking around ancient cities, I would get tired of the Old Town portions of the cities. Not so! At least, definitely not in Krakow! Here is a city that survived the bombings of WW2 relatively unscathed. The old town was still in the same condition as it was so long ago. Granted, it's not all perfectly historically accurate. When the moat surrounding the old town started to fall apart, they turned it into a circular park called the planty to provide extra green space to their citizens. My favorite part of the old town was the St. Mary's Bascilia. I can honestly say I have never seen a more beautiful church. The sky blue painted ceiling and golden ribs gave way to vibrant stained glass and ornately carved biblical figures. The amount of time and energy it must have taken to complete astounds me.

I saw so many churches, but this was by far my favorite

          Worst Experience: I could have eaten even more pierogis than I did, and that's the biggest complaint I can muster. I ate traditional Polish food at least once every day and I always felt like I could eat even more. Thank goodness my wonderful boyfriend got me a pierogi cookbook so I can continue my addiction at home.

          Most Moving Experience: I initially didn't want to go to Auschwitz, but I'm so thankful that I did. It was the most emotionally moving experience of the entire trip. Just walking the barracks and hearing the tour guide talk about the every day cruelties and killings was so hard. I teared up more than once. And I don't think I actually understood the scope of the camps until I saw their enormity for myself. Hearing Auschwitz-Birkeneau described is nothing like going yourself. I'm so glad I did take a day trip to see this painful yet vital part of history.

Auschwitz-Birkeneau

Auschwitz Mother Camp

Warsaw, Poland:

That's right, it's the childhood home of Marie Curie

          Best Experience: Beccause of some changes in our travel schedule, we only got to see Warsaw for one full day. I just didn't realize how much I wanted to see until it was too late. So really, I feel like I can't make a lot of judgements about Warsaw. I will say that I really enjoyed seeing "The Battle of Grunwald" by Jan Matejko. He was a famous Polish painter who was interested in depicting scenes from Poland's past (not always completely accurately) to rally the nationalist spirit. his work becames especially meaningful during the partition of Poland and during the invasion of Poland by Germany during WW2. I had read a lot about his work, so it was wonderful to actually see it in person.
          Worst Experience: Wouldn't you know it? On our last day before the trip came to a close, someone stole Courtney's film camera and laptop computer from her locked locker. Trust me, this is the worst possible way to end a trip. She had done everything right to keep her stuff safe, and still someone broke in and took her computer. We spent our last hours in Poland trying to file a report with the police and figure out what else we could do. It was just so frustrating that we couldn't do anything about it.
          Most Unexpected: I don't know why, but I didn't think Warsaw would feel so much like Berlin. They are both cities that were hit extremely hard during WW2, and both of them were rebuilt under strict Soviet watch. I think that changed something in the character of these cities. Once Russia pulled out of the Eastern Block, both cities seem to have grown in a similar manner. If I had the time, I bet I would have found a similar vibrant street art/alternative youth culture in Warsaw. I suppose I'll have to go back and test that theory sometime soon!

The truly massive Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko

How to talk science without sounding like a pompous jerk

The class I am taking this summer is rather unique, though it certainly shouldn't be. I'm trying to develop lifelong skills necessary (in my opinion) for success in academia, but they are skills woefuly ignored. Specifically, I'm trying to learn to be a better communicator with those outside my field of research.

Video interviewing at Medill

As students in classes taught by famous, yet boring professors can attest- being a great researcher does not mean you are a great communicator. It doesn't even mean you are a good one.  Northwestern University offers a wonderful program to help turn this pattern around, called 'Ready, Set, Go!' The aim of this program is to help scientists and researchers across all disciplines to disseminate their work to the broader world. It's a surprisingly daunting task.

For one thing, content really does matter. On my first day with the other students, I realized that my research is at somewhat of an advantage. I study human systems (memory and sleep) so they are easier to understand intuitively. My classmates studying nanoparticles or non-newtonian fluids have a lot more jargon to deal with the complex systems they study. Learning to cut back the three-plus syllable words is only the first step. We have also learned how to use analogies, craft stories, and pull approachable aspects of our research to the forefront. All of these pieces must fit together to create a coherent story.

Beyond storytelling, there are also other aspects to consider. For instance, this week we spent our class time in the Medill television studio to record interviews on our research. It quickly became apparent that outside of knowing the research, we had to know how to turn a question towards a topic we want to discuss and and leave hooks for other points you want to make, so the interviewer can pick them up.

And of course, we must remember the physical aspects of a tv interview. To look like a credible source, you need to dress the part. Wearing bold colors (but no patterns), sitting at the edge of the chair to avoid slumping, and wearing a suit jacket are all tricks that you only realize after watching yourself on the screen. Although I still feel there are many things I'd like to tweak on my interview, I think my last take was a solid of example of how to put some of the skills I've learned into action.

Of course, the class isn't quite over yet. I will be making a final video where I will explain my research in full, and hopefully get to play with some neat video editing tools. I will certainly be posting that video, along with a recap, when the summer ends.

But for now, I'm actually going on holiday to Europe. I'll try to post updates of my trip here, though don't expect too much science- I'll mostly be enjoying local culture and food!

Modelling Biological Processes using Technology

I was recently at a lecture in which the presenter referred to the "circuitry of long term memory" and I was stuck by how often we refer to anatomy as a physical system. Talking about circuits and pathways and such leads one to think in almost mechanical terms on how our organic bodies function. It's a helpful short cut to explain things in terms that are easier for a layman to follow.

It's a practice especially prevalent in neuroscience, although that is the area with which I am most familiar. In any case, I realized that this trend has been going on for quite some time and is often dependent on the current state of our technology. Take for example how the the famous Galen of the Roman Empire thought the blood system worked. "Galen incompletely perceived the function of the heart, believing it a "productor of heat", while the function of its affluents, the arteries, was that of cooling the blood as the lungs "...fanned and cooled the heart itself". Galen thought that during dilation the arteries sucked in air, while during their contraction they discharged vapours through pores in the flesh and skin."

This pumpe system as Galen saw it, was based on the ancient Roman understanding of heating and cooling similar to their intricate water ducts system.  The technology of the day formed how people thought the human body functioned. In modern lingo, cognitive scientists often speak of 'serial/parallel processing' or 'streams of information' and this all calls to mind the inner workings of a computer.

I have to wonder, in the future when we have some new fantastic technology will we compare it to another anatomical feature of ourselves? Or is it our embodied experience that allows us to come up with such technology because we are actually mirroring it after ourselves?

Anthropomorphizing Science

One of the graduate classes I'm currently taking is called Biology of Sleep. It's a new class through the neuroscience department, so we don't have a rigorous structure. Each week, we discuss a new topic in relation to the biological basis of sleep and/or circadian rhythms. When I signed up, I thought this class would be right up my alley. I have a relatively strong background in sleep and my advanced biology classes are only 2 years in my past and thus relatively fresh.

Super cute idea, the rest are at: http://kcd-elements.tumblr.com/

Turns out, I was absolutely wrong. This class has been incredibly difficult, especially when we have to read papers with terminology I can't even recall. This week, we focused on sleep, metabolism and obesity so I was expecting something about eating behaviors changing with a lack of sleep. Instead, we got this. I didn't know I was signing up for advanced genetics and biochemistry when I decided to take the class.

So in reading these highly technical and complicated papers, I've taken to anthropomorphizing ligands and kinases to tell myself a story and follow the molecular cycles. I create heros and villians who steal or give electrons in redox reactions. It's a form of mental shorthand for me to get the gist on these otherwise extremely difficult papers.

This is the kind of thing I memorize using stories

But I wonder, is this a good thing to do? Sure, it helps get the 'basic storyline' of the paper and what's happening in the cell, but is this a good way to teach students? I came up with the technique for my own personal use, but I wonder if professors find such an idea useful or not. The downside is that by creating a story, you give agency to things which do not think or feel. ATP doesn't get its feelings hurt when it phosphorylates and becomes ADP. Lysosomes aren't homicidal killers of proteins. These molecular components don't have feelings or motivations, which a story implies.

So what's your opinion? Is it worth learning information in a story format helpful for memory retention? Or harmful because of the associated assumptions?

Don't take notes on your laptop

Hello 2015! I can't believe the year passed so quickly and it's already a new year! I had a wonderful winter vacation in the sunny state of Texas, but now it's back to the grad school grind. This quarter is particularly looking to be extremely busy. I'll be taking classes, running my own study, and TAing for the first time. That's a lot to accomplish in just a few months. Luckily the winter weather keeps me inside, so I suppose I'll be more productive.

When it's cold out, why not drive to Wisconsin for some cheese?

As for the main meat of this post, I learned something rather unsurprising, yet interesting, in the class I'm TAing. (TA= Teacher's Assistant) I'm TAing developmental psychology which is an upper divsion psychology course. Before we got into the meat of the class, the professor presented some research she conducted on previous classes. She and several other professors conducted an observational study whereby they looked at technology usage of their students and grades earned in that class. Below are the results.

As you can see, those who didn't use a laptop scored the highest in the course on average. Second highest were those who reported staying on task while using their laptops to take notes in class, although they still earned a significantly lower grade than those with no technology. Students who reported being off-task on the laptop (ie, internet browsing, email, etc) scored just as poorly as those who claimed to be multi-tasking. This result might surprise some, but previous research has shown that humans are incredibly bad at multi-tasking. Having to flit from one thing to another makes us bad at all of them overall. According to this study, you might as well just be off-task!

Personally, I've always noticed that I have trouble focusing on class when I have my comnputer out. I am better at remembering information when I write it, rather than type. It seems old-fashioned, but I much prefer carrying a bunch of spirals around instead of a laptop. I'm just glad real research supports my own habits. I have to wonder, when I'm a professor will I allow my students to use laptops? I think not, though maybe we will be such a technology-driven society that I wont have much of a choice. That's a long way away so I better just focus on surviving this quarter!

Brave New World (of sleep research!)

If you've ever read Brave New World (and I sincerely hope that you have), then you probably remember the strange hypnopaedic training used to keep people thinking as the World State wants them to. Basically, the State trains citizens from childhood by using softly spoken mantras played in their sleep.  These constantly repeated ideas are designed to keep them from rising above their prescribed station in life by cuing them to how they should think. When I first heard of this idea, I thought it interesting but outlandish. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

You see, the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Northwestern University has recently delved into a research vein similar to Huxley's idea. In a very easy-to-understand paper,  members of my lab tested whether sounds played at night can actually help with memory the next day.

The paradigm went like this- participants learned where 50 objects were located on the screen and each object was paired with a matching unique sound. So they would learn the tea kettle is in the upper right corner and that a kettle whistle is associated with that picture. Next, participants took a nap and during the deep sleep stage, half of the sounds they heard were replayed to them (without waking them up). When they woke up, they were tested on how well they could remember where the objects belonged. Results showed that participants remembered more of the objects that were cued while they were asleep, and were better at closely matching where those images went on the screen. Basically, it seems like playing the sounds reactivated the memory traces during sleep and helped consolidate them to make a stronger memory!

And this research doesn't just extend to visuospatial learning. Another member of my lab showed that participants can better learn to play a keyboard to produce a melody that's been cued during sleep rather than one that hasn't. So it appears this memory reactivation is multimodal, even when we sleep.

I cannot tell you how fascinating I find this research. Currently, I'm working on a project regarding implicit memory but I'm dying to get my toes wet in some sleep-memory research. I just haven't found the right research question yet.

Let me know if these projects bring any questions/ponderings to mind!