About memory

A review supports the benefits of physical activity for children’s and adolescent’s scholastic performance, but points to the need for better studies. A recent study looks at the effects on attention of different types of physical activity.

A brief questionnaire designed to identify those with Alzheimer’s has been found to be useful in also identifying those with MCI. A large study confirms the value of such tools but also points to their limitations

Another small study indicates that the plant extract Pycnogenol may improve working memory.

A series of experiments indicates that walking through doorways creates event boundaries, requiring us to update our awareness of current events and making information about the previous location less available.

While sports training benefits the spatial skills of both men and women, music training closes the gender gap by only helping women.

Another study has come out supporting the idea that negative stereotypes about aging and memory affect how well older adults remember. In this case, older adults reminded of age-related decline were more likely to make memory errors.

Comparing performance on an IQ test when it is given under normal conditions and when it is given in a group situation reveals that IQ drops in a group setting, and for some (mostly women) it drops dramatically.

A series of experiments has found that confidence fully accounted for women’s poorer performance on a mental rotation task.

Follow-up on an early child-care program for low-income children finds long-term benefits for education and employment. A large study pinpoints the advantages children from higher-income families have over those from low-middle families. Norway shows how extending compulsory education is linked to higher IQ.

A large study shows the impact of having multiple family disadvantages on cognitive development. A brain scan study finds childhood maltreatment significantly reduces the size of the hippocampus, while another finds parental care can increase it.

Those learning a new language benefit from making suitable gestures as they repeat new vocabulary, and this can even extend to gestures arbitrarily linked to abstract adverbs.

Two animal studies add to our understanding of why calorie restriction might help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia and how to accrue cognitive benefits from it. A human study adds to the evidence for the benefits of eating less.

A program designed to improve reasoning ability in older adults also increased their openness to new experiences.

A study showing that those with ASD are less likely to use inner speech when planning their actions, a failure linked to their communication ability, has implications for us all.

More evidence that music training protects older adults from age-related impairment in understanding speech, adding to the potential benefits of music training in preventing dementia.

A pilot study suggests that wearing a nicotine patch may help improve memory loss in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Significant differences in the risk of mild cognitive impairment for men and women, and in the risk of developing the two sub-types, suggests that risk factors should be considered separately for genders and sub-type.

Whether corrections to students’ misconceptions ‘stick’ depends on the strength of the memory of the correction.