Science

Acoustical memory is weaker, than visual 

As it turns out, there is merit to the Chinese proverb 'I hear, and I forget; I see, and I remember,'" says graduate student James Bigelow.  

Bigelow and his University of Iowa (UI) colleagues have published their results of an investigation into how humans remember sound.

Their findings? That we have a harder time remembering things we have heard, compared with things we have seen or felt.

"We tend to think that the parts of our brain wired for memory are integrated," says Amy Poremba, associate professor in the UI Department of Psychology and corresponding author on the paper.

Prof. Poremba says the team's findings may indicate that the brain uses separate pathways to process information:

"Even more, our study suggests the brain may process auditory information differently than visual and tactile information, and alternative strategies - such as increased mental repetition - may be needed when trying to improve memory."