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Memory Experiment

plumjam

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Here's one to try.

Try to remember your first school. Picture the building in your mind.
 
Again...and? Is there a point to what appears to be a silly exercise? Why must all woo woo folks play the "I know something you don't know...guess what it is" game?
 
Memory recall. I recalled the name of my school then the picture of it came. However I may be wrong and think the picture came before the name of it sprang to mind.

Throw me another one and I'll see what does come first the name or the picture. If that is your drift of course?
 
Locknar said:
Again...and? Is there a point to what appears to be a silly exercise? Why must all woo woo folks play the "I know something you don't know...guess what it is" game?
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Because they don't have a logical or useful worldview, so they make up for their inadequacy with silly "gotcha" games? It goes right next to the "if you can't disprove it, I can assert it" stupidity that the woo-sters are so fond of.
 
I’m not a specialist, but I presumably shuffled some neurotransmitters about, depolarised some cell membranes, fired off some sort of synaptic pattern in specialised areas of my cerebral cortex.

That being what usually happens when I do stuff with my brain
 
JoeEllison said:
Because they don't have a logical or useful worldview, so they make up for their inadequacy with silly "gotcha" games? It goes right next to the "if you can't disprove it, I can assert it" stupidity that the woo-sters are so fond of.
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Nicely said :)

PJ - since you seem to have questions on memory, why not try hereWP; from there you can do your own research...of course this would involve reading factually based science vs woo woo so do so at your own risk.
 
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Locknar said:
Nicely said :)

PJ - since you seem to have questions on memory, why not try here; from there you can do your own research...of course this would involve reading factually based science vs woo woo so do so at your own risk.
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It's interesting how people are assuming this is some kind of woo topic. As far as I can see it's not. Remembering stuff is just about as normal and everyday as you could get.
 
plumjam said:
Yes, but how did you manage to recall it? How would you describe the process of intentionally recalling it?
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I read your question and then answer came instantly to me. Both times. It was a simple spontaneous recall memory thought, instant reaction type of thing.

But I do believe it was the picture of my old school came first not the name.
 
Maybe I can clarify by creating a scenario.

An alien (who understands English automatically) has just arrived in your living room. He has all the mental apparatus necessary for memory.. but it just so happens that he hasn't consciously accessed his memory yet. In his memory is stored the experience of his journey to Earth.
As he doesn't know how to access his memory he figures he'll ask for your help, to train him how to do it.
After all, for you, accessing your memory is as easy as falling off a log. You've been doing it all your life.

So what would you say to him to train him how to access his memory of the journey?
 
Corpse Cruncher said:
I read your question and then answer came instantly to me. Both times. It was a simple spontaneous recall memory thought, instant reaction type of thing.

But I do believe it was the picture of my old school came first not the name.
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You say the answer came instantly, but did you first make a conscious effort to remember it?
 
I can remember a teacher as it was the first hiding (but not the last) I got at school. But can't remember the school itself.

ps this was this was a while ago, when beating children was socially acceptable. As it should be.

pps my parents never raised a hand to me, and neither do I to my son.
 
plumjam said:
It's interesting how people are assuming this is some kind of woo topic. As far as I can see it's not. Remembering stuff is just about as normal and everyday as you could get.
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Well...I'm glad your question is a sincere effort to have a scientific discussion wrt memory.

plumjam said:
Maybe I can clarify by creating a scenario.

An alien (who understands English automatically) has just arrived in your living room. He has all the mental apparatus necessary for memory.. but it just so happens that he hasn't consciously accessed his memory yet. In his memory is stored the experience of his journey to Earth.
As he doesn't know how to access his memory he figures he'll ask for your help, to train him how to do it.
After all, for you, accessing your memory is as easy as falling off a log. You've been doing it all your life.

So what would you say to him to train him how to access his memory of the journey?
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Then again, ET/aliens are always part of true scientific discussion and certianly not "woo woo" in any way *lol*

Memory recall is an inherent/autonomous function similar to say breathing. Sure, one can influence their breathing to a point…but that does not mean full conscious awareness and control of the diaphragm, or other muscles required for breathing.

Oh wait...I'm sorry...you were talking ET/aliens (ie. woo woo); I'd smack the ET in the head with a bat, or try electro-shock on it. If it didn't move out of the way of the bat, or say try to avoid the electro-shock the second time around (demonstrating the ability to access memory) I'd finish the job and pop it in the oven at 300F and roast until golden, brown and delicious. Then I could have the memory of how tasty it was.
 
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plumjam said:
Maybe I can clarify by creating a scenario.

An alien (who understands English automatically) has just arrived in your living room. He has all the mental apparatus necessary for memory.. but it just so happens that he hasn't consciously accessed his memory yet. In his memory is stored the experience of his journey to Earth.
As he doesn't know how to access his memory he figures he'll ask for your help, to train him how to do it.
After all, for you, accessing your memory is as easy as falling off a log. You've been doing it all your life.

So what would you say to him to train him how to access his memory of the journey?
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Simple, I think he needs a mental jog to recall the memory. I just need to find the key to unlock it. Finding that key in which to mentally jog that recall is the more trickier part. Like anybody who has experienced memory problems, key markers are used to help jog the memory or fix it. But that is different from asking a question and gaing an answer from a working memory isn't it?

As for your other question did I make a conscious effort. How can I answer that if I don't know what a conscious effort is or not. Or how to be aware of one taking place?

You asked the OP questions and my visual vortex was stimulated and the answer came about. Was the input conscious on my part or automated by my mind is something I don't know about?

How can I distinguish from automation or an active conscious process?
 
A flawed scenario in so many ways. For a start, your alien being cannot possibly exist. It can remember things, but not choose to remember things? It’s hard to see how that’s a meaningful distinction. And presumably the fact that you expect it to remember where it is and what you told it means that it must have some sort of means of accessing what happened in the past.

It’s like saying ‘Imagine a person that is both big and small at the same time’ and then asking how that might be possible
 
Corpse Cruncher said:
Simple, I think he needs a mental jog to recall the memory. I just need to find the key to unlock it. Finding that key in which to mentally jog that recall is the more trickier part. Like anybody who has experienced memory problems, key markers are used to help jog the memory or fix it. But that is different from asking a question and gaing an answer from a working memory isn't it?
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Yeah, but presumably the alien has no idea what mental jog or key marker would be, or be referring to. Like you could maybe show him a saucer from the kitchen cupboard, but then he might say 'two sugars, thanks, nanoo nanoo' ;-)

As for your other question did I make a conscious effort. How can I answer that if I don't know what a conscious effort is or not. Or how to be aware of one taking place?
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You surely are aware when you're making a conscious effort to do something, no? Think constipation.

You asked the OP questions and my visual vortex was stimulated and the answer came about. Was the input conscious on my part or automated by my mind is something I don't know about?
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yeah, it's interesting.. seems like sometimes memories come up automatically, and unbidded.. other times they have to be mined

How can I distinguish from automation or an active conscious process?
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I think you can.
 
Matt the Poet said:
A flawed scenario in so many ways. For a start, your alien being cannot possibly exist. It can remember things, but not choose to remember things? It’s hard to see how that’s a meaningful distinction. And presumably the fact that you expect it to remember where it is and what you told it means that it must have some sort of means of accessing what happened in the past.

It’s like saying ‘Imagine a person that is both big and small at the same time’ and then asking how that might be possible
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Experiences go into his memory store, he just doesn't know how to access that store in order to bring memories to mind.
Entirely reasonable IMO.
 
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