Summary and Response to the Article “The Naked Face” by Malcolm Gladwell Essay Example

Summary and Response to the Article â€Å"The Naked Face† by Malcolm Gladwell Essay Part I. Summaryâ€Å"The Naked Face† is an article by Malcom Gladwell in which he provides both his personal experiences and results of scientific research in a particular field of psychiatry and physiology: namely how our face reflects our thoughts and moods. He brings in numerous examples to make the article as vivid and illustrative as possible.The article starts with a story of a policeman John Yarbrough, who had an accident which is quite usual for policemen. He had to face an armed person who was about to shot him. The matter was who will shoot first, but for some reason Yarbrough did not, as well as his opponent. The policeman could explain his action only by one thing: something in the face of the criminal told him, that he is not going to shoot. Later Yarbrough has passed a test, which demonstrated that he has an outstanding talent to recognize emotions in faces.Each man has a considerable ability to read faces, but only a few fully develop and use it. This topic has been developed by scholars since late XIX century, including works of Charles Darwin. Later it has been investigated by Paul Ekman who asked himself a question whether facial expressions depend on cultural or national features. So he traveled to distant countries, including far-away jungles of Papua New Guinea and discovered, that in all places of the world people are able to recognize emotions independently from their culture. Thusly he concluded that facial expressions are a matter of evolution rather than culture.Together with is colleague Wallace Friesen he started investigating physiological grounds for facial expressions. Through medical textbooks they outlined facial muscles and their groups which are responsible for mimics. The work took years to do but the results were really remarkable, as they managed to create a full chart of muscles and reactions.Later in his article Gladwell offers examples of practical application of â€Å"face-reading†, including interviews wi th Bill Clinton and Kim Philby. Under his idea teaching facial reactions is a must for everyone, who performs public services, administrative functions or deals with many other people. Profound scientific study of the phenomena is likely to turn intuitive insights into well-trained skill.Part II. ResponseThe article is definitely of high interest to everyone who is interested in psychiatry and psychology, as well as to anyone, who wants to better his or her social skills. As regards my personal experiences, for me this article is yet an another interesting incentive to study reflexes of human emotions.When I was a teenager I became interested in applied psychology and how it can help me in making communications with the people around me. I have read and tried to make use of the books by Carnegie and similar works. Later I became acquainted with the books by Alan and Barbara Pease, including â€Å"The Definitive Book of Body Language†, â€Å"Signals: How To Use Body Language For Power, Success, And Love†, and others related to body language.Watching myself and others I have discovered, that body and facial language is in fact highly applicable and useful in our daily life. It does not only help us to understand each other better and avoid misreading of communicational messages, but it can also assist in creating necessary moods for ourselves and others. For example, when I am bored or depressed I use to change my body position and face, and this often helps to feel better.However, all the studies which I have read were more of popular nature. The article by Gladwell adds theoretical understanding of deep psychiatric processes, influencing facial expressions. It also wakens more interest to further studies on the subject. This can be compared to practical and theoretical physics. Anyone can read faces after being properly trained same as anyone can use electricity in his or her household. However, only theoretical studies can help in understanding what stands behind certain movements of facial muscles same as only formulas and theories give knowledge of what electricity is, how it appears and works.

My University Day Another drowsy Wednesday morning, we found out

My University Day Another drowsy Wednesday morning, we found out My University Day Another drowsy Wednesday morning, we found out our seats and sat down. It is funny to see everyone with a blank face after they were pulled from the sweet beds. Here came BringÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s voice: ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Gosh! How I miss my bed! AhÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ ¦Ã‚Æ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ -SheÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s yawning, and made everyone near her do the same thing.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"LingÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ ¦.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  The bell rang. Just at that time, Mr. Wang, our translation teacher came in. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Hey,ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  my deskmate murmured, ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"our teachers are never late for class, but never early for class too.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Yes, but better than we are, arenÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t they?ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  I replied. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"How come?ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  I sm iled: ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ" See, here is the answer.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  Several boy students rushed in and said sorry for their being late. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Because we are never early for class, but always late for it.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  I said.Mr. Wang put out a heap of handouts and this action brought in a moment of chaos. Too much translation to do?! ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"DonÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t worry, weÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ll finish it in class.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ Then a long, boring course was ready to begin.But before that there was an interesting call-over time. University teachers seldom do this, especially the male teachers. But today it is an exception! ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Call my name, call my name.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  We always relate to this song when the call-over happens. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Ways? Where is Ways? Absent?ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Sick.ÂÆ' ¢Ã ‚‚€‚ -A boy, WaysÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ roommate replied. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Really? Oh, I see.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  A smile flashed on Mr. WangÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s face and he made a note on WaysÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ name. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Okay, next. Billy? WhereÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s Billy?ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"SickÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ -All of us, boys and girls, replied together and it made ourselves laugh out at the same time. ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Ah, I see.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  Mr. Wang repeated the words automatically.With no doubt, that was a best way to wake my brain up. I tried my best to listen to the teacher but from time to time my attention was distracted by the dream I had dreamed of last night. Mr. WangÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s hypnotic voice could always make us all back to the wonderful dreams. Some of my classmates began to nod their heads, and then bent their backs, ready to put their faces on the desks. But it seemed that they were also struggling to pull their back straight again. After several ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"noddingsÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ , they surrendered totally and their faces were glued on the desks again. It reminded me of the days in highschool. When anyone of us was sleepy on the physics course, the young teacher who was also our best friends would throw a piece of chalk to his head, and then he would ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"apologizeÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ : ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Oh, sorry, my chalk gets drunk.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  Then we burst out laughs and were waked up again. But it seems impossible for the university teachers to do so, and they donÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t care even if you sleep in their classes. ItÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s not polite to sleep in class, so I always struggle with my eyelids in case they would close up out of my control. And luckily most of the times I win them over.But winning over the eyelids doesnÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t mean I can beat the boredom down. When there was a time that we need some fresh air out of the classroom, the best choice (or the best excuse) is to go to the washroom. Men would go there for a cigarette to give themselves a lift. Girls would go there, standing in front of the mirror and combing their hair. ItÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s a way to refresh ourselves.Sometimes this method is not available. After the long, boring translation course was over, there came the class of international trade practice. Miss Huang would ban all of us go out of the classroom during the class time. I hate this regulation. And most of us donÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t like her very much not only for her unreasonable rule, but also because of her strong ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"ChinglishÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ (Chinese English) accent, and that pronunciation is awful! I will show you how. Miss Huang always pronounces the word ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"againÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  as ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"agunÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ , and then we made this word ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"agunÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  as her nickname. Hard to imagine that how university students are sometimes as mischievous as the primary school pupils. We also share the same things with the primary pupils. When we were still little boys and girls, we got out a conclusion that if we donÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t like a teacher, hence we show no interests in the course he gives. This ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"theoryÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  also works in our university days. Shame on us: Most of us did a not-so-good job in the final exam on international trade practice. But I always tell myself IÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™m learning for myself, not for anyone else, and whatÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s more, IÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™m a university student now! So I should be much more mature than I was in the elementary school. If now the ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"theoryÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  still works on me, I should feel ashamed. Actually I did feel ashamed.But when we meet with some interesting courses, there is another totally different story. In the afternoon of the same day, we like to attend Miss KangÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s course, because she just behaves like our peer although sheÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s now more than 30 years old. She entered the classroom like an easy breeze, dressed with casual wears. Her voice was so magical that it could attract our attention without effort. In her class she never made her students bored, and we seldom feel stressful and therefore we expressed ourselves freely. We talked about life, thoughts, dreams, hobbies, and she would exchange her special experiences with us. She knows our hearts: As university students, we long for having the teachers or professors with their own individu alized personality, because we have already been educated in a theoretical, monotonous way during the past 12 years, before we enter the university. As generation-X, we are interested in everything new and stylish, and we are apt to accept them. We are seeking for knowledge and also we are eager to have a different way of life. We need the teachers who can understand us well instead of the stereotyped ones.We feel so lucky that we are in a university for language studying. ItÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s an amazing experience because we have the chance to learn a second foreign language. The last course in Wednesday is one of my most favorite. They say girls, especially girls who learn language and literature are as romantic as a rose. I canÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t agree more. In the second foreign language learning, we would choose a special sentence as a starting point. Even the teacher knows the ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"conventionÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  well, so when h e gave us the first course he put ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"Je tÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™aimeÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  on the blackboard and then told us:ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  DonÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™t ask me how to speak ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚˜ I love youÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ in France. IÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ve already told you.ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  Yes, that is our ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"starting pointÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ . Then at the night girls would gather together and tell others how to pronounce ÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ÂÅ"I love youÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚  in different languages:in Japanese, in German, in Spainish, in Russian, in KoreanÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚ ¦ Before I fall asleep at night, I always recollect what IÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™ve done in the daytime. Did I do something good or bad? Do I satisfy with the whole day? if not, itÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™s ok, because tomorrow is another day! It will be better, IÂÆ' ¢Ã‚‚€‚™m sure.

3 Sentences with Hyphenation Problems

3 Sentences with Hyphenation Problems 3 Sentences with Hyphenation Problems 3 Sentences with Hyphenation Problems By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, one or more hyphens is missing from a phrasal adjective, but another solution is available: A relaxation of the syntax is recommended, as explained following each example and demonstrated in a subsequent revision. 1. We can expect to see lighter touch regulation in the banking sector. The hyphenation problem here is a lack of a hyphen- â€Å"lighter touch,† as a phrasal adjective modifying regulation, should be hyphenated: â€Å"We can expect to see lighter-touch regulation in the banking sector.† Better yet, however, because of the somewhat obscure expression, it might be better to introduce the phrasal adjective as a modifying phrase following the noun: â€Å"We can expect to see regulation with a lighter touch in the banking sector.† 2. It is not unreasonable to question whether a Republican majority backed replacement plan is possible going forward.   The three words preceding the phrase â€Å"replacement plan† unite to provide more detail about the plan and should therefore be styled as a phrasal adjective, with hyphens connecting the words: â€Å"It is not unreasonable to question whether a Republican-majority-backed replacement plan is possible going forward.† However, this treatment is somewhat cumbersome, so a solution equivalent to the one in the previous example is merited: â€Å"It is not unreasonable to question whether a replacement plan backed by a Republican majority is possible going forward.† 3. The risks may not manifest themselves over an annual period or a three to five-year planning horizon. The phrasal adjective preceding â€Å"planning horizon, with an implied instance of year after the first number as well (and similarly hyphenated if year explicitly appears), requires suspensive hyphenation: â€Å"The risks may not manifest themselves over an annual period or a three- to five-year planning horizon.† However, to mitigate the complexity of the sentence, consider placing the modifying phrase after the noun, with hyphen(s) omitted: â€Å"The risks may not manifest themselves over an annual period or a planning horizon of three to five years.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical Words50 Idioms About Fruits and VegetablesIs Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?

Does Turkey need regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Does Turkey need regulation - Essay Example It is a delicate balancing act to be sure, and one that Turkey should consider tackling. The article discussed here presents multiple ways that society can work to counter the so-called ‘advertising effect’. Discussed in this paper will be three of those options that were recently mentioned. One possibility that can be explored is the banning of advertising in public spaces. Many cities in Turkey, in particular Istanbul, are heavily populated with millions of people. This makes the area a prime target for companies to lure consumers into purchasing their product. As a result, massive advertising takes place in nearly all public spaces, creating not only an eye-sore, but creating a form of ‘visual pollution’ (Gannon and Lawson 16). One proposal is to ban all forms of outdoor advertising. This would include ads on taxis and buses, and particularly billboards – effectively eliminating them. Other major cities, such as Sao Paulo, Brazil, have implemented such measures, and it has been met with cleaner streets and most positive comments made by members of society. There are some critics, however, that argue this goes too far in limiting companies effectively reaching the consumer. They argue for legislation targeted on advertising that is not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. In other words, punish the advertising polluting companies in the city, but allow those that produce visually appealing promotional pieces to continue. This is an interesting concept, but would be a nightmare to police. Another recommendation is to begin taxing the very nature of advertising. This proposal stems from the idea that countless millions of pieces of advertising material are printed everyday, just to go unread and serve to pollute the environment. Because such forms of advertising are largely unregulated, and the printing of basic flyers is relatively cheap in comparison to other forms of advertising, companies continue to produce such material in t he hope that even a few consumers will be lured in. As a result, needless pollution is occurring, particularly in Turkey where these massive advertising efforts appear to be in full effect. The proposal is to begin to tax such advertisements in an effort to get companies to pay up and clean up their act, or to stop the needless advertising all together. This is a unique proposal and one that is similar to other taxing efforts designed to clean up areas of the environment. This could gain traction in the coming years if massive advertising efforts continue. One other proposal worth mentioning is to establish statutory regulation of the advertising industry as a whole. As it is currently, the industry in largely unregulated. In America and the United Kingdom, there are regulations in place, and even the outright ban of certain types of advertising in some localities. Turkey lags far behind in this area, so the introduction of such standards could help matters immensely. This can begin by asking Parliament to strengthen existing local powers and allow them to restrict certain forms of outdoor advertising. In addition, there should be a legal process whereby consumers can ask for proof of certain claims made by advertisers or charities in their comments on television commercial or infomercials. This will force advertisers and such

Investing in stocks and bonds Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Investing in stocks and bonds - Term Paper Example Consequently, the value of stock for that corporation tend to reflect the corporation’s earnings and experiences, going up when it is profitable and down when the company is experiencing losses. In essence, the higher the return potential, the higher the amount of risk associated with the stock. For example, investors in stock expect a high rate of return since they do not have a set schedule for repayment or fixed rate of return such as those in fixed-income securities. Even within this world of stocks, variations do exist in reward and return (Tyson, 2011). Blue chip stocks refer to stocks issued by corporations, which are firmly established within their given industries and possess a long history of paying dividends and producing earnings. Small capitalization stocks refer to shares from companies that are not that well established but have tremendous potential for growth. This can translate into a significant return for the investor. However, this comes with an increased potential for a greater decrease in value than would be expected from, say, a more established company. Bonds, on the other hand, involve making loans to corporations and other entities by investors (Wyckoff, 2009). Other entities normally involve various branches of the government that issue bonds to attract injection of capital without giving the investor managing control. In effect, the holder of the bond holds an IOU. If we were to invest in bonds, we would not expect any share in profits and would get a fixed investment return. This return is an interest rate on the bond and is also referred to as the coupon rate. It is calculated as the total percentage of the initial offering price of the bond. Bonds, just like common stocks, have a fluctuating market value, and if they are sold before their maturity date, they could produce a loss or gain in principle value (Wyckoff, 2009). If we were to invest

Baldwins Attack of Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe :: Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

James Baldwin's Attack of Uncle Tom's Cabin      Ã‚   What Frederick Douglass was to the 19th century, it might be argued that James Baldwin was to the 20th century.    Baldwin was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and an African American novelist, publishing many books and plays, including his most popular Go Tell It on the Mountain in 1953. However, he was also known as an essayist. One of his most famous essays, "Everybody's Protest Novel," attacks the concept of protest fiction and more specifically, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. This 20th century critical analysis discusses the novel's downfalls of sentimentality, grandiose violence, and racialist characterization.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baldwin feels that the protest novel is almost always sentimental. He feels that sentimental fiction is inherently dishonest. He writes, "Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumanity, the mask of cruelty" (1654). He explains that Uncle Tom's Cabin is a "very bad novel" with sentimentality similar to Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Baldwin also writes that Stowe includes an excess of violence in Uncle Tom's Cabin. He notes:    This [violence] is explained by the nature of Mrs. Stowe's subject matter, her laudable determination to flinch from nothing in presenting the complete picture; an explanation which falters only if we pause to ask whether or not her picture is indeed complete; and what construction . . . forced her to so depend on the description of brutality - unmotivated, senseless - and to leave unanswered and unnoticed the only important question: what it was, after all, that moved her people to such deeds. (1654)    Baldwin sees the graphic violence in the story as a means to create reality; however, Stowe fails, creating only more sentimentality.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baldwin suggests that the characterization in Uncle Tom's Cabin is racist in its development. He discusses the main characters of the novel as George, Eliza, and Uncle Tom. He writes, "Eliza is a beautiful, pious hybrid, light enough to pass . . . . George is darker, but makes up for it by being a mechanical genius, and is, moreover, sufficiently un-Negroid to pass through town . Baldwin's Attack of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe :: Uncle Tom's Cabin Essays James Baldwin's Attack of Uncle Tom's Cabin      Ã‚   What Frederick Douglass was to the 19th century, it might be argued that James Baldwin was to the 20th century.    Baldwin was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and an African American novelist, publishing many books and plays, including his most popular Go Tell It on the Mountain in 1953. However, he was also known as an essayist. One of his most famous essays, "Everybody's Protest Novel," attacks the concept of protest fiction and more specifically, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. This 20th century critical analysis discusses the novel's downfalls of sentimentality, grandiose violence, and racialist characterization.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baldwin feels that the protest novel is almost always sentimental. He feels that sentimental fiction is inherently dishonest. He writes, "Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumanity, the mask of cruelty" (1654). He explains that Uncle Tom's Cabin is a "very bad novel" with sentimentality similar to Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Baldwin also writes that Stowe includes an excess of violence in Uncle Tom's Cabin. He notes:    This [violence] is explained by the nature of Mrs. Stowe's subject matter, her laudable determination to flinch from nothing in presenting the complete picture; an explanation which falters only if we pause to ask whether or not her picture is indeed complete; and what construction . . . forced her to so depend on the description of brutality - unmotivated, senseless - and to leave unanswered and unnoticed the only important question: what it was, after all, that moved her people to such deeds. (1654)    Baldwin sees the graphic violence in the story as a means to create reality; however, Stowe fails, creating only more sentimentality.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baldwin suggests that the characterization in Uncle Tom's Cabin is racist in its development. He discusses the main characters of the novel as George, Eliza, and Uncle Tom. He writes, "Eliza is a beautiful, pious hybrid, light enough to pass . . . . George is darker, but makes up for it by being a mechanical genius, and is, moreover, sufficiently un-Negroid to pass through town .

Human Memory Essay

The human memory is that part of our brains that has the capacity to receive, store, and retrieve information. It is comprised of not one but three types: sensory, short term, and long term. Generally, the process involves receiving information or stimulus from the environment. The stimulus is then received by the sensory memory. Then the information, which is converted into electrical impulses, is passed through the short-term memory, and finally, the long-term memory through the neurons. Sensory A stimuli that is sensed or received by one of the five sense organs are received by the sensory memory, which acts as a protective barrier. There are different types of sensory memory, one for each sense organ. For the visual stimuli that are registered by the eyes, the sensory memory is called iconic. Stimuli that passes through the ears are received by the echoic memory. And the haptic memory is for stimuli that are felt or touched. A stimulus reaches the sensory memory between two hundred and five hundred milliseconds after it was perceived. An example of sensory memory is the ability to remember how something looks like even if you were able to see it for only a few seconds. Based on research, sensory memory is able to retain about 12 items in a very short period of time. Interruption in the smooth relay of sensory information can be caused by problems in the neurons . If there are some neurons that do not connect or there are imbalances, then information flow will stop or will be delayed. Short-Term Information that reaches the sensory memory are transferred to the short-term memory. This type of memory allows retention of information for up to 60 seconds. While it can remember information far longer than the sensory memory, the short-term memory can only retain up to five items. To increase the number of items that the short-term memory can remember, studies showed that grouping or chunking the items into three have been found very useful. Short-term memory will degrade if a person experiences chronic pain or drinks constantly. It can be enhanced through aerobic exercises because of the increased oxygen in the brain. Long-Term After information has passed through the short-term memory, it is then transferred to the long-term memory for storage and for retrieval in the future. Contrary to the two previous memories, the long-term memory can hold information indefinitely, sometimes for a lifetime. Information becomes ingrained in the memory through repetition or rehearsal. For instance, the alphabets has been constantly repeated to young children in order for them to remember each letter. As a result, knowledge of them will remain etched in memory forever. Long-term memory degrades through certain illnesses. It can be improved through constant intellectual stimulation and rehearsal. Long-term memory groups information into facts and skills. Facts is further classified into two: the episodic and semantic. As their names suggests, episodic refers to events that are stored in the memory. All the others are stored in the semantic memory. Skills, on the other hand, is about learned information that needs to be recalled to perform certain actions. The processes involved in the long-term memory are retention, retrieval and deletion. Retention is achieved when there is rehearsal. Deletion happens when there is interference. Retrieval can occur through recall and sometimes, through recognition. When the information is remembered from memory, it is called recall. If there are promptings and cues to remember an information, it is called recognition. Interference Interference is defined as the inability to recall an information because certain items or events interfere with the process. Proactive interference occurs when previous learnings will make it difficult to remember new ones. On the other hand, retroactive interference occurs when new learnings make it difficult or impossible to recall past information. While studying, information gets jumbled in the student’s mind because there are too many to recall. To improve absorption and recall, it is important to rehearse the information over a period of time. This could be done by reading the day’s lessons and memorizing the salient points before going to sleep. If the student will make this a habit, he won’t need to cram everything in his head a few days before the exam. By constantly rehearsing, the retention and retrieval will become easy. Other Factors That Could Affect Memory Age is one factor that could make a person forget an information or make it difficult to retrieve it from its storage. Like any other part of the body, the brain also degrades if it is not constantly in use. Injuries, traumas, medicines, and diseases could also affect memory storage and retrieval. For example, a tumor in the brain can interrupt the flow of electrical impulses, resulting to memory loss. Or a trauma caused by accident could result to sensory memory loss in one part of the body. To improve and maintain a good memory, it is always important to keep on exercising the mind as well as the body. When the mind is seldom used, it degenerates. Reading, learning and engaging in intellectual discourses would keep the mind active. References Gailbuck. (2007). Delving Into the Autistic Brain – Part 1. HubPages. Retrieved August 14, 2008, from http://hubpages.com/hub/autism-sensory-processing Human Memory. Retrieved August 14, 2008, from http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/human- cap/memory.html Mohs, R. How to Improve Your Memory. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved August 15, 2008, from