Off-topic: Magic Number 7 (WAS: Re: XML Editors - Word 2000?? )

[Trevor Croll]

Off topic response to memory issue - not XML

Memory -
The human brain is a neural network - this means we do not have menory like
in a computer but a memory system that approximates the original input. It
is pattern recognition and pattern recognition is approximate at best.

The consciousness is updated by:-
    current context
    inputs
    long term memory
What is in the conscious memory acts as an "address" (a pattern input) to
the long term memory which responds with more data added to the short term
memory and this conscious memory. ie there is a feed back mechansim
operating and what and how people recognise and think is very much
determined by their past learning.

There is also inaccuracies in this system - error:
Marijuana -tetro hydro cannanabol lowers neuron threshold, this more "data
references" are available in the consciousness and the conscious memory will
"expand" with lots of data. A point is reached where a high is reached and
this feels good. BUT the quality of this data is lower than normal and this
low quality data is used to update the long term memory - thus the quality
of the long term memory is lowered and long term Dope smokers have great
difficulty coping with the world.

The point here is:- memory is specific to individuals - there is no
generality about different people's ability to remember. Some exposed to
lots of numbers will remember - with practice lots, others can not remember
any.

do not pin hopes on any one number - identify the nature of the person
first.


The short term memory



----- Original Message -----
From: Didier PH Martin <martind at netfolder.com>
To: <Andy.Bradbury at syntegra.bt.co.uk>; <xml-dev at ic.ac.uk>
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 1999 9:23 AM
Subject: RE: Off-topic: Magic Number 7 (WAS: Re: XML Editors - Word 2000?? )


> Hi Andy,
>
> I said gifted without mentioning that this skill is the result or nature
or
> of culture or even practice or any other kind of emotional state or
source.
> I agree that the word was badly chosen.
>
> This said, it seems (from observation and experiments) that long term
memory
> is more influenced by emotional state than short term memory. Miller
> referred to some experiments but these experiments tell us nothing about
> short term memory being influenced by emotional state or practice. From
> observation and experiments, we have indications that long term memory is
> influenced by emotional state. But it seems that short term memory is not
as
> sensible to this variable. So, being open to your arguments, do you have
any
> article or study specifying explicitly that short term memory is
influenced
> by emotional state or practice?
>
> regards
> Didier PH Martin
> mailto:martind at netfolder.com
> http://www.netfolder.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-xml-dev at ic.ac.uk [mailto:owner-xml-dev at ic.ac.uk]On Behalf Of
> Andy.Bradbury at syntegra.bt.co.uk
> Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 5:23 AM
> To: xml-dev at ic.ac.uk
> Subject: RE: Off-topic: Magic Number 7 (WAS: Re: XML Editors - Word
> 2000?? )
>
>
>
>
> Didier wrote:
> >The magic seven comes from a well know article form George Miller in 1956
> >called "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our
> >Capacity for Processing Information". In this now famous article, Miller
> >stated that the short term memory can handle 7 elements plus or minus 2.
> >This means that gifted people can remember with their short term memory 9
> >elements and the less gifted 5. The average person can remember 7
>
> Just for the sake of accuracy, this has nothing whatever to do with being
> gifted.
>
> Miller's article simply records certain experiments (carried out by other
> researchers) and notes the overall implications.
>
> In practise, unless you are skilled in memorisation techniques, the amount
> of information you can carry in working memory will vary according to
> context, emotional state, interest in the material being memorised and so
> on.
>
> Regards
>
> Andy B.
>
>
>
>
> xml-dev: A list for W3C XML Developers. To post, mailto:xml-dev at ic.ac.uk
> Archived as: http://www.lists.ic.ac.uk/hypermail/xml-dev/ and on
CD-ROM/ISBN
> 981-02-3594-1
> To (un)subscribe, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following message;
> (un)subscribe xml-dev
> To subscribe to the digests, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following
> message;
> subscribe xml-dev-digest
> List coordinator, Henry Rzepa (mailto:rzepa at ic.ac.uk)
>
>
> xml-dev: A list for W3C XML Developers. To post, mailto:xml-dev at ic.ac.uk
> Archived as: http://www.lists.ic.ac.uk/hypermail/xml-dev/ and on
CD-ROM/ISBN 981-02-3594-1
> To (un)subscribe, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following message;
> (un)subscribe xml-dev
> To subscribe to the digests, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following
message;
> subscribe xml-dev-digest
> List coordinator, Henry Rzepa (mailto:rzepa at ic.ac.uk)
>
>


xml-dev: A list for W3C XML Developers. To post, mailto:xml-dev at ic.ac.uk
Archived as: http://www.lists.ic.ac.uk/hypermail/xml-dev/ and on CD-ROM/ISBN 981-02-3594-1
To (un)subscribe, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following message;
(un)subscribe xml-dev
To subscribe to the digests, mailto:majordomo at ic.ac.uk the following message;
subscribe xml-dev-digest
List coordinator, Henry Rzepa (mailto:rzepa at ic.ac.uk)