Muscle memory
Definition for Wisegeek.com,
"A type of movement that one becomes familiar with over time."
Muscle memory is a survival mechanism, could you imagine if every time you had to write you had to relearn the process. The same applies to walking, talking, typing, and conscious to much of what we do. Muscle memory is a two stage process that consists of the Encoding stage where memory can be changed and the Consolidation stage which allows memory to move from short term memory into the long term memory section. This then stabilizes the movement of the memory making causing the process of "muscle memory" to become much more natural. The Basal Ganglia in our brain controls what and where we remember. Clive Wearing is someone who is unable to make new memories because his memory was completely gone because of severe brain damage, but he is still able to walk and play the piano because of the repeated amounts of time that he has performed these actions.
Music
by a German photographer Laoen.
When learning to play an instrument a teacher always tells a student to practice slowly and frequently to make rapid progress, which is why it is harder for a teacher to teach a person who has been playing an instrument
for years on end because correcting mistakes that are instilled in the mind are very hard to break.
Referring again to Clive Wearing, he remembers how to play piano because of the amount of practice he has had. Early on, Wearing fell ill as a result of a viral infection. This infection overcomes the brain's natural defenses and causes an inflammation leading to brain damage which lead to his memory problems. He is so impaired that he cannot recall what happened a few minutes ago. He keeps a diary of records and upon confronting evidence of earlier consciousness, or seeing a video of himself, he becomes upset and denies the evidence even after years and years of dealing with this condition.
Referring again to Clive Wearing, he remembers how to play piano because of the amount of practice he has had. Early on, Wearing fell ill as a result of a viral infection. This infection overcomes the brain's natural defenses and causes an inflammation leading to brain damage which lead to his memory problems. He is so impaired that he cannot recall what happened a few minutes ago. He keeps a diary of records and upon confronting evidence of earlier consciousness, or seeing a video of himself, he becomes upset and denies the evidence even after years and years of dealing with this condition.
Three Laws of Memory
- The Law of Concentration- our ability to concentrate sets us apart from other mamials
- The Law of Association-This is the ability to relate one fact to another and "group" them in your brain
- The Law of Repetition- Without repetition anything anyone learns would be pointless and wouldn't encode properly into our brains
- http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/memory-17.shtml
