Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute
six minutes we discuss an interesting
And joining me to do this is Rob.
Rob: Hello... err sorry Neil, how long did
Neil: Six minutes ... it's 6 Minute English, Rob.
Neil: Neil! My name is Neil, Rob. What's
Rob: Sorry, Neil - too many things on my
mind, it's affecting my short-term
I can remember is that in this programme
Neil: We are and I think you might find it
quite useful! Storing information
function of our brains and scientists
improve it but also to stop it
deteriorating - or becoming worse.
Rob: Yes, and we all know that memories -
past - are nice to have but also important
for remembering who people are,
Neil: Soon we'll be discussing a new idea
for improving your memory but not before
I've set today's quiz question.
There are many ways we can improve
is through the type of food we eat.
According to the BBC Food website,
supports good memory function? Is it...
a) eggs, b) spinach, or c) bananas?
Rob: Well, as a kid I was always told that
spinach was good for me - Popeye ate it
to make him strong - so I'll say b) spinach.
Neil: Well, I'll have the answer later on.
Memory is the ability to encode, store and
recall information but a number of factors
can affect people's memory processes
including health, anxiety, mood,
Rob: That's why, for example, if you're
and to keep healthy. But Neil, when
you're revising for an exam, what helps
Neil: I tend to write things down again and
Rob: Well, that's one way. But people have
different styles to help them remember.
According to the BBC's iWonder guide,
there are three different styles - visual,
that's learning by 'doing' and practicing
something over and over again.
Neil: But recently, a new study has
come up with a method that could
possibly be the best way to improve your
Daryl O'Connor, who's Professor
of Psychology at the University of Leeds,
the BBC Radio 4 programme, All
Daryl O'Connor: The authors certainly
argue that one of the things that
these particular objects, that it leads to
this increased contextual representation
of the object in one's mind...
It makes a lot of intuitive sense...
the idea that if you have encoded
something in a greater level of detail,
you're more likely to remember it...
It's much stronger than just remembering
Neil: OK, so let's try to explain that.
Drawing something leads to increased
contextual representation of the object.
Rob: So as you draw something you are
creating a picture in your mind
about what it is, how you use it and
this means artists have good memories...
Neil: Maybe. Daryl O'Connor says that
when you draw you are encoding
level of detail, more than you would by
information into a form that can
Rob: That's because as you draw,
you're thinking about different aspects of
intuitive sense - intuitive means it is
'based on feelings rather than
facts or proof' - so, you just feel
Neil: Of course this is just one more way
to improve your memory. I've also
can help, especially when you're older.
Rob: Yes, as we get older we can often
have more difficulty retrieving information
from our memory - and people with
Alzheimer's find it very difficult
to encode information - so any way
to keep our memory working is a good
thing. Basically we need brain training!
Neil: Brain training and eating the right
food, Rob! You might remember that
earlier I asked you, according to
the BBC Food website, which type of food
supports good memory function?
Is it... a) eggs, b) spinach, or c) bananas?
Rob: I do remember and I said b) spinach.
Neil: And that is sort of the wrong answer.
In fact they were all correct - they are all
examples of food that can help support
good memory. Apparently, foods rich in
B vitamins are important as they
provide protection for the brain as we age
and support good memory function.
I think it's time to change my diet!
we looked at in this programme.
Rob: So today we've been talking about
our memory - we use our memory
and 'memories' is the noun for things
Neil: Then we discussed a learning style
known as 'kinaesthetic', that is learning
practising something over and over again.
Daryl O'Connor, who talked about
contextual representation - when
Neil: Next we talked about 'encoding'.
Rob: And we mentioned 'intuitive sense' -
having an intuitive sense means
on feelings rather than facts or proof' - so,
you just feel it is the best thing to do.
Neil: And finally we mentioned
Alzheimer's - a disease affecting
difficult to remember things and
it gets worse as you get older.
Rob: Well, there are lots of new words
to remember there - but that's all
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