in Musings, Science

The mystery of place memory

Yesterday, I was leaving my desk for a meeting when I realized I had my high-tech, shiny Macbook Pro in one hand and a low-tech notepad in the other. There was no reason I needed a notepad when I had my laptop and yet it didn’t seem right not to attend a meeting without it.

After pointing out my absurdity to my coworkers for a laugh, I pondered how writing something down with a pencil or pen seems to strengthen my recall of it. I could easily type whatever I’d be jotting down and do it much faster with a computer, yet I’m certain I would not retain it as well as if I had used a pen or pencil.

Watching my dog make his rounds to all of the neighborhood pee spots got me thinking of how a dog’s world must be organized. Smells act as a dog’s map. If a dog finds a treat somewhere in the house, the dog will continually check that spot long afterward. Even if that treat was there only once. Dogs seem to create memories based on place (and reinforced with one of the strongest memory-making senses, the sense of smell).

I also thought of how we humans tend to organize our memories based on place. When recalling a fact or replaying a memory in our heads, we often instinctively look up to a particular place in space, as if that spot in physical space somehow holds the answer. Another example is how walking into a new room sometimes instantly erases the memory of what you were looking for. Or how a visit to old stomping grounds can ferret out long-lost memories.

We are oriented to operate in 3D space, so it makes sense that our memory process might be similarly designed. Check out some fascinating research on this topic and the role that the brain’s retrospenial cortex plays.

  1. I listen to audiobooks a lot. I find that I have a strong place memory associated with books. Sometimes, hiking on the same trail kindles memories of the book I listened to while hiking there. Sometimes the reverse – I hear a passage from a book and remember the specifics of the day and trail. Weird.

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