Involve Children in Activities with Reward Play for Better Memory Retention

A new study done by
neuroscientists at University of Geneva (UNIGE) has shown that memory retention
is higher if there is an associated with it but which is neither too small or
too large.By ensuring an effective neural dialogue between the reward circuit and
the memory circuit, this delicate balance allows the proper encoding of
memories of our brain. An experiement done by Sophie Schwartz, full professor
in the Department tof find out how long the effect of memory lasts and the role
of reward play.
Thirty healthy subjects were
chosen and they were asked to remember associations between objects and people,
each correct answer was associated with points gained and each incorrect answer
with points lost. These points could be converted to money. Their real time
brain movements were monitored with magnetic resonance imaging. It was found
that rewards are required to motivate the brain but too high or too low a
reward did not bring the best results.
Imagine picking berries in the
forest: if they are everywhere, you do not have to remember where to find them.
If there are only a few, the effort required to pick them is too great in
relation to the possible gain - a few berries will not feed us. Now, if
clusters of berries are scattered throughout the forest, remembering their
exact location will allow us to pick more in a short time.”
In the brain, memory is
primarily managed by the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for
encoding and storing memories. When a reward is involved, however, another
region is activated, the ventral tegmental area, which is involved in the
reward system and responsible for the release of dopamine related to the
satisfaction of obtaining a reward. “It is the dialogue between these two brain
areas that helps maintain motivation, improve learning, and consolidate
memories, even over time,” explains Kristoffer Aberg. This experiment shows the
importance of motivation in memory and learning, but also the subtle, and
probably individual-specific, balance that should be instituted. These lessons
are particularly useful in the school environment, with the idea of creating
learning contexts that would foster this motivation according to the needs of
children.
RECOMMENDED NEWS