How important is memory and recall?

[Spence]

Can somebody be considered a genius and have a horrible memory? Is it mandatory to have great recall in order to be one of the greatest minds of any given era?

Can memory and recall improve considerably over time with conditioning?

It seems more and more that a good memory is one of the most important ingredients in being successful. Am I way off base here?

I ask, because my memory sucks, and it's annoying as hell. I am nowhere near a genius, so don't get that idea, just a simpleton looking for some educated input on this subject.

[tarheeljks]

we probably need a cognitive scientist to answer this.

[Taraz]

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Can somebody be considered a genius and have a horrible memory? Is it mandatory to have great recall in order to be one of the greatest minds of any given era?

Can memory and recall improve considerably over time with conditioning?

It seems more and more that a good memory is one of the most important ingredients in being successful. Am I way off base here?

I ask, because my memory sucks, and it's annoying as hell. I am nowhere near a genius, so don't get that idea, just a simpleton looking for some educated input on this subject.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obviously a good memory helps a lot. But I think what is generally considered 'genius' is the ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated things. It's that creativity to make associations to come up with novel ideas.

[FortunaMaximus]

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Can somebody be considered a genius and have a horrible memory? Is it mandatory to have great recall in order to be one of the greatest minds of any given era?

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Short-term memory can be weaker and not have much of an impact. But the answer to the second one is yeah.

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Can memory and recall improve considerably over time with conditioning?

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Certain things can be learned. And if you apply a set amount a day to logic and math problems, crosswords, etc. It will improve. There are less-known methods that are older.

[ QUOTE ]
It seems more and more that a good memory is one of the most important ingredients in being successful. Am I way off base here?

I ask, because my memory sucks, and it's annoying as hell. I am nowhere near a genius, so don't get that idea, just a simpleton looking for some educated input on this subject.

[/ QUOTE ]

Method of loci (Wiki) is the classical method I was referring to.

Taraz,

You seem to be describing individuals with low latent inhibition. Accurate?

[Phil153]

Memory has a lot to do with interest and novelty. For example, if a hot girl gives your nuts a squeeze while walking down the street, you'll probably remember that quite vividly. Learn to listen for and be interested in the subtle differences between things, and your memory will improve.

I think genius is based around the ability to focus, to be introspective about your assumptions, and having the will to master whatever it is you study. And not as much a great memory.

[yukoncpa]

A five inch long puppy dog that doesn’t even have it’s eyes open, will remember a person that was kind to it ten years later. I’ve known people whom at a young age had photographic memories, but these very same people don’t seem to have logical connectors ( they don’t seem to be able to relate concepts ). Einstein was reputed to not be able to remember his telephone number. ( Now even if that’s true, it doesn’t really mean much since a phone number is a trivial thing). Memory can be easily erased in your brain. Certain small, specific parts of your brain control memory functions. If you damage these areas, you don’t necessarily damage the ability of a person to reason.

[Taraz]

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Taraz,

You seem to be describing individuals with low latent inhibition. Accurate?

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Low latent inhibition is related I guess, but not exactly what I'm describing. With LLI, you have access to a lot of stimuli at the same time; you can't shut out "irrelevant" observations.

What I am talking about has to do more with working memory capacity I think. It's not so much that the genius has a huge stream of incoming stimuli, it's that he can keep a whole lot of things in his working space at the same time. He can integrate observational stimulus, memories, and procedures learned all at the same time.

So I guess I would say that it is a "memory" function that contributes to genius in my view. But normally what people think of when you say "memory" is a good recall ability not working memory capacity.

[FortunaMaximus]

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What I am talking about has to do more with working memory capacity I think. It's not so much that the genius has a huge stream of incoming stimuli, it's that he can keep a whole lot of things in his working space at the same time. He can integrate observational stimulus, memories, and procedures learned all at the same time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. I'm quite familiar with this, although I'm no cognitive scientist.

I suppose in comparison, you can use a computing analogy. Their RAM is amped up to the max, essentially. Retrieval and processing take priority, spelling mistakes are left to be corrected later, etc.

I'm just ruminating though. Having LLI can be useful, but I think without the process you describe, you see an area where the blurred distinction between mental illness and genius really comes into play.

This is essentially a learned function, and it depends on individual capability to master (or optimize, I suppose) what he/she has, as Phil alluded to.

[TomCowley]

I think a large part of genius is efficiency of thought, mainly in the ability to move between levels of abstraction effortlessly. With that comes the ability to relate concepts quickly. Recall for facts is not particularly important, but recall for concepts is critical.