What animals have a short memory. Who has a very short memory

Since the working memory of the human brain can only work in four directions. This conclusion was reached by American psychologists, whose research results are presented in the scientific publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For a long time it was believed that a person can simultaneously memorize up to seven different objects. For the first time this theory was voiced back in 1956 by a psychologist from Harvard University, George Miller. As a basis for such a statement, he took telephone numbers that use no more than seven digits. As a result of research, he derived a formula according to which a person's short-term memory can simultaneously contain seven plus or minus two objects.

However, Nelson Cowan, a psychologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, noticed that when a person remembers a phone number, he subconsciously breaks it into blocks of three to four digits, which became the basis for his research in the field of short term memory.

After conducting a study, scientists came to the conclusion that the capabilities of this memory are more modest - it has no more than 4 vectors, it is for this reason that it is much easier for people to memorize numbers from groups of 4 in each, and the maximum tasks that a person is able to perform simultaneously does not exceed four.

American psychologists conducted a series of different experiments, where the subjects were asked to perform basic visual, logical, mechanical and cognitive tasks, and came to the conclusion that people, regardless of race, gender and age, are able to simultaneously operate with a maximum of four objects. This statement is true both in relation to experiments with colors (squares of 4 or 5 colors), and in relation to the faces of other people, performing simultaneous work - memorization was limited to four vectors of thinking.

According to psychologists, in the vast majority of people, the processes are limited to 3-4 vectors, in a small number of “lucky ones” the number of vectors reaches 5. The University of Missouri-Columbia says that even in unique cases when people can remember a lot of information the first time , everything ultimately comes down to 4 main vectors, the rest depends on the ability to manage them.

Another conclusion that scientists have come to is that intelligence is directly dependent on memory. "The logical processes in human cognition also seem to be tied to working memory. The information that you can keep in your head at the same time is the information on the basis of which you draw conclusions. The more this information, the more logical and quick conclusions you draw ", - says Nelson Cowan, one of the researchers from the US.

So, if you forgot why you went into the next room or where you put your glasses, do not worry: scientists say that this is quite normal, since human brain unable to store much information in working memory. Working memory is an even faster form of short-term memory in the human brain. With a certain degree of conventionality, a person's working memory can be compared with the processor's cache memory - it is small, but it is the fastest.

Interestingly, in ancient times it was believed that memory processes are carried out in the liver. Then people came to the conclusion that memorable information is deposited in the bones of the skull. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates believed that there is a kind of wax tablet in the head, on which all the necessary information is recorded.

Even at the beginning of the last century, it was believed that a person is born with a brain as clean as a sheet of paper. Modern research show that the memory of the embryo is formed as early as 20 weeks after conception.

By the way, the memory of a four-year-old child is the same as that of an adult. The only difference is that it has not been developed yet. And according to recent research best parameters memory in 19-year-olds. In human larks, memory productivity is maximum from 8 to 12 am, and in owls - from 8 to 12 pm

The profession has an impact on memory. Better than others, it is preserved by artists (thanks to constant training - memorizing texts), scientists (all parts of the brain work hard) and beekeepers (if they use bee products that are rich in trace elements that improve memory). So, Mozart, having once listened to the many-voiced spiritual composition of Allegri in the Vatican, wrote down an exact, note for note, copy of the work during the night. The famous archaeologist Schliemann, through hard training, achieved that he learned the next foreign language in 6-8 weeks.

Studies show that drinking alcohol leads to poor memory, especially for faces. It is known that the commander Alexander the Great knew by sight 30,000 soldiers of his army.

Among the latest scientific discoveries in the workings of memory are studies by scientists at the University of Düsseldorf. They argue that just a few minutes of drowsiness can significantly improve a person's memory, and emphasize that it is not sleep that brings memory benefits, but the process of falling asleep. The fact is that in the process of falling asleep there is a period of memory processing, and deep sleep plays a large role in several basic functions, for example, in restoring erroneous connections in the brain.

The material was prepared by the online editors www.rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Since childhood, we have learned a lot about animals - from school course, books or TV shows. But sometimes it happens that our ideas about animals, like many other concepts, are not entirely correct. While the media do an excellent job of entertaining the viewer, they often misinform when it comes to teaching new things. In this issue, we take a look at ten common and enduring animal myths.

Myth: Toads grow warts when touched.

This is a surprisingly common misconception, and a lot of people are trying to figure out if there is any truth to this claim with the help of Google. And the truth is that there is no truth in it at all. This myth is most likely due to the fact that parents usually tell their children not to touch toads they have just found in the mud. However, it turns out that warts can be picked up almost anywhere, they are caused by the human papillomavirus - but it has nothing to do with toads. However, parents can still find for their children good reason do not touch toads: toad skin contains bufotoxin, which can cause irritation.

2. Goldfish

Myth: Goldfish have a bad memory.

Another common myth is that goldfish are very short memory and that they are very stupid. It turns out that in fact there are enough goldfish smart creatures and probably would not be happy with such attempts to denigrate their intelligence. The memory of goldfish is actually quite developed, they are able to remember some events for weeks and are trained to perform challenging tasks. Among the complex tasks they were trained to do: pushing levers, ringing bells - in other words, they are almost as smart as rats.

3 Cheetahs

Myth: The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world.

There is some truth in this statement, because the cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of 109 km/h over short distances, which exceeds the speed limit on many US roads. However, the cheetah is not the fastest animal on the planet, this title belongs to the bird. The needle-tailed swift is the fastest living creature on the planet: in horizontal flight, it can reach speeds of more than 111 km / h. Close relative this bird was even faster, but the record is not officially taken into account by scientists, because the way this measurement was taken was not recognized as scientific. In addition, the fastest fish in the world, sailboats, are essentially tied for second place with cheetahs, swimming at 109 km/h.

Myth: The venom of the harvest spider is more poisonous than that of any other spider, but fortunately, the spider cannot bite through human skin.

Many people believe that hay spiders are extremely venomous. At the same time, there is a misconception that their mouths are too small to bite a person. These popular misconceptions were refuted by the famous "myth busters" with an experiment in which a spider successfully bit through Adam's arm. The "Destroyer" admitted that he felt nothing but a very slight instant burning sensation at the bite site. The analysis showed that these spiders are not poisonous and are safe for humans.

5. Ostriches

Myth: Ostriches bury their heads in the sand.

This is one of those myths that has become incredibly entrenched, thanks in large part to the many cartoons and cartoons that make us take this "ostrich habit" for granted. We've all heard that when someone doesn't want to deal with a problem, they "dive head first into the sand like an ostrich", which is what birds supposedly do when danger is around. Meanwhile, ostriches have a tendency to run away if they feel the approach of danger, and are also quite able to defend themselves with powerful blows of their beak or legs. In reality, in case of potential danger, ostriches simply lower their heads to make them harder to notice.

Myth: A bull becomes enraged at the color red.

Testing the bull on mechanical matadors with rags different colors(fixed and oscillating), experiments have shown that the bull rages from a oscillating rag, and not from the red color or the silhouette of a person. Finally, the expert performed a "death stunt" by standing motionless on the court in a red suit while two professional cowboys teased the bull. In general, despite the fact that bulls distinguish colors (they have dichromatic vision), they react to movement.

Myth: Snakes hear and react to music.

The snake spell is one of the most interesting and at the same time dangerous tricks. The snake charmers play the flute and the snake sways to the music, enchanted by the soothing notes. Well, except that everything in the last sentence is not true. It turns out that snakes do not hear what people are doing, they can feel vibrations, and in the process of incantation, the snakes actually react to the movements made by the fakirs, and not to the sound of the flute. It turns out that, like many street performers, snake charmers are more concerned about their show being spectacular. It should also not be forgotten that fakirs can treat their creeping performers badly: many snakes undergo a dangerous and painful procedure - the removal of fangs.

Myth: Koalas are bears.

Many people refer to the cuddly little furry creatures that live in the eucalyptus trees in Australia as "koala bears". This definition is quite understandable, because these animals are really very similar to miniature bears, but in fact they are marsupials. The koala is considered a marsupial because it has a pocket, which bears lack. It turns out that koalas are actually much closer to wombats than to bears.

Myth: old dog You can't learn new tricks.

Many have heard this expression and not only memorized, but also accepted it as a matter of course. Studies have been carried out on older dogs and it has been found that proper preparation they were able to learn new tricks, as were the young dogs.

10. Dolphins

Myth: Dolphins are always friendly and helpful.

There is one thing that is usually said with confidence: dolphins will always support a person in the ocean, save them from sharks and help them find their way to shore. The reality is not so rosy - sometimes dolphins can be killers! Scientists have recently made some very disturbing discoveries about dolphins and how they tortured a baby dolphin to death. The fact remains that dolphins harm their own kind.

Just not the goldfish.

Despite its notorious status as a supposedly well-known fact, the memory duration of an aquarium goldfish is not three seconds at all.

The results of a study conducted at the Plymouth University School of Psychology in 2003 leave no doubt that goldfish have at least three months of memory and can recognize shapes, colors and sounds. In order to receive a reward in the form of a treat, they were taught to press a small lever; when the lever was adjusted so that it worked only an hour a day, the fish quickly learned to put it into action in right time. A number of similar experiments have shown that fish in cages can be easily accustomed to feeding at the same time and in the same place - in response to one or another sound signal.

Goldfish don't crash into an aquarium wall not because they see it, but because they use a pressure-sensitive system called side line. Some types of blind cave fish are perfectly oriented in complete darkness with the help of their lateral line alone.

And since we are talking about myths about goldfish, let's immediately note: a pregnant goldfish was not, is not and cannot be a model of "stupidity". Goldfish do not get pregnant - they spawn, which the males fertilize right in the water.

In principle, maybe there is a word for a female spawning fish - something like "doda", "durynda" or "chipka" - but none of them are mentioned in decent dictionaries.

What is the most dangerous animal that has ever lived on our planet?

If someone thinks that a small fry does not make the weather, let him try to sleep in a locked room with a single mosquito.

African proverb

A good half of the people who have died in the history of mankind - something like 45 billion - were killed by female mosquitoes (males only bite plants).

The mosquito (or mosquito) carries over a hundred potentially deadly diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis, and elephantiasis (elephantiasis). Even today, every twelve seconds, this insect kills one of us.

Amazing, but up to late XIX For centuries, no one could have thought that mosquitoes are so dangerous. It wasn't until 1877 that Dr. Sir Patrick Manson - also known as "Mosquito" Manson - proved that elephantiasis was caused by mosquito bites.

Seventeen years later, in 1894, Manson had the idea that mosquitoes might also be the cause of malaria. He offers his student Ronaldo Ross - at that time still young doctor practicing in India to test this hypothesis.

In 1902, Ross received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Manson is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and knighted. He also becomes the founder of the London School of Tropical Medicine.

To date, 2500 species of mosquitoes are known, 400 of which are members of the family anopheles, and 40 of them are capable of transmitting malaria.

Females lay their eggs in water and use the sucked blood to mature them. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae, or pupae. Unlike most insects, mosquito pupae, also known as "twitchers", are very active and can glide through the water quickly.

Male mosquitoes buzz in a higher tone than females; they can be seduced by an ordinary tuning fork that strikes a B note.

Female mosquitoes are attracted to moisture, milk, carbon dioxide, body heat, and movement. Sweaty people and pregnant women are much more likely to be bitten.

In spanish and portuguese mosquito means "small fly".

Are groundhogs harmless?

No, because they kill people. Cough them to death.

Marmots (or marmots)- good-natured puzanchiki, representatives of the squirrel family. They are about the size of a cat and squeak loudly in case of danger. However, this is where their charm ends. A species living in Mongolia - the steppe (or common) marmot - is especially susceptible to infectious disease lungs caused by bacteria Yersinia pestis and more commonly known as the bubonic plague.

Groundhogs spread the plague by coughing on neighbors; infecting fleas, rats and eventually humans. All the great epidemics that swept through East Asia and mowed down Europe, came from the steppe Mongolian marmots. Historians estimate that the death toll from the plague has exceeded one billion, placing the groundhog second only to the malarial mosquito on the list of mankind's greatest killers.

When a groundhog or a human becomes a victim of plague, the lymph nodes in their armpits and groin blacken and swell (such ulcers are called "buboes", from the Greek boubon,"groin", hence the word "bubonic"). The Mongol will never touch the groundhog's armpits, because "the soul of a dead hunter hides there."

The remaining parts of the marmot are considered a delicacy in Mongolia. Local hunters perform whole rituals before sneaking up on their prey: they put on fake rabbit ears, dance and wave their yak tail. The caught marmot is roasted whole over hot stones. Alpine marmot fat is valued in Europe as a healing ointment for rheumatism.

Other representatives of marmots include the prairie dog and the North American woodchuck. Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. Every year, a groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil, who lives on Turkey Hill in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is removed from an electrically heated burrow. Tuxedo-clad "keepers" ask Phil a question: does he see his own shadow? If the groundhog whispers yes, then winter will last another six weeks. Since 1887, the meteorologist Phil has never been wrong.

Bubonic plague has not left us to this day - the last serious outbreak occurred in India in 1994. Plague is one of three diseases on the U.S. list of diseases requiring mandatory quarantine (the other two are yellow fever and cholera).

How do lemmings die?

No, they don't commit mass suicide - if that's what you're thinking.

Apparently, we owe the idea of ​​suicide to the scientific work of naturalists of the 19th century, who observed (but never understood) the four-year “boom-bust” population cycle of the Norwegian lemming (Lemmus lemmus).

Lemmings have a phenomenal ability to reproduce. One female can give up to eighty offspring annually. Sudden bursts of lemmings even led the Scandinavians to believe that they spontaneously breed when the weather is favorable. What actually happens is that mild winters lead to overpopulation, which in turn leads to overgrazing. In search of food, lemmings go to explore uncharted territories and go until they stumble upon a natural obstacle like an abyss, lake or sea. And the rears are pushing. There is panic and confusion. There are also accidents. But it's not suicide.

There is another, side myth: that the whole idea of ​​mass suicide was invented in the Disney film The White Wasteland (1958). The truth here is that the film was an absolute fake. It was filmed in the Canadian province of Alberta, surrounded by land and never seen lemmings, the animal actors had to be transported as far as Manitoba, several hundred miles away. The "mass migration" footage was taken with a dozen lemmings on a snow-strewn turntable. And the famous final scene (where lemmings throw themselves into the sea under the tragic, hopeless voiceover of Winston Hibbler: “ Last chance turn, but you can't stop them; one more step - and their bodies fall into a bottomless abyss") was filmed without any special fuss at all: the filmmakers simply threw the poor fellows into the river.

However, Disney is only guilty of trying to recreate a story already ingrained in our brains. Here is how it is described in the most influential children's textbook of the early 20th century, Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopedia, published in 1908: water and causing typhoid... forward and forward, to the sea, and further - into the water, to their own death... It's terrible and sad, but if it weren't for such a sad outcome, lemmings would have swallowed up all of Europe long ago.

What do chameleons do?

They do not change their color at all depending on the surrounding background.

Never changed and never will. Absolute myth. Complete invention. Blatant lie.

The color of a chameleon depends on its emotional state. And if the color suddenly match with the surrounding background, then this is exactly coincidence, nothing more.

A chameleon changes color when it is frightened, or picked up, or if it has defeated another chameleon in a fight. They change color when a member of the opposite sex enters their field of vision, and sometimes due to changes in temperature or lighting.

The skin of a chameleon contains several layers of special cells, the so-called chromatophores(from Greek chroma,"color" and sphere,"carry"), each with its own color pigments. Changing the ratio between the layers causes the skin to reflect different types light, making the chameleon a kind of walking color music.

It is even strange how stable the belief is that chameleons change color depending on the environment. This myth first appeared around 240 BC. e. in the writings of Antigonus of Carista - a minor Greek writer of entertaining stories and short biographies. Aristotle - a figure much more influential and also writing a century earlier - even then absolutely correctly associated the change in color of the chameleon with his fear. In the Renaissance, from the theory of "surrounding background" in again almost completely abandoned. However, since then, views have changed to diametrically opposed ones, and today this is perhaps the only thing that most people “know” about chameleons.

Chameleons can remain absolutely motionless for hours on end. For this reason, and also because chameleons eat very little, for many centuries it was believed that they feed on air. This, of course, is also not true.

Word chameleon in Greek means "earth lion". The smallest species is Brookesia minima, the length of which is only 25 mm; the biggest, Chamaeleo parsonii, has a length of 610 mm. The common chameleon proudly bears a Latin name chamaeleo chamaeleon, which sounds like the intro of a song.

The chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes completely independently of each other and look in two opposite directions at the same time. However, he is completely deaf. The Bible forbids eating chameleons.

When asked which of the animals has the shortest memory, given by the author Millet the best answer is It is a misconception that a goldfish has.
A goldfish that lives in an aquarium, contrary to the supposedly generally accepted fact, does not have a memory "for 3 seconds".
A study conducted in 2003 at the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth showed that the memory of goldfish "works" for at least three months, while recognizing shapes, sounds, colors. To get a treat, they were taught to lower a small lever.
Later, in the course of these studies, the lever was adjusted so that it worked only one hour a day and the fish quickly learned to actuate the lever at the right hour.
Several similar experiments have shown that fish in large aquariums or cages are not difficult to accustom to feeding at one time and in one place when a certain sound signal is given.
Also, goldfish, swimming in an aquarium, do not touch the wall, not because they see it, but because of the use of a special system that is sensitive to the pressure surrounding the fish itself. This system is called the side line. There are certain types of fish living in caves that are well oriented in pitch darkness only with the help of his sideline.
Another misconception: a pregnant goldfish cannot be a model of “perfect stupidity” (pregnant, and even blonde). The fact is that fish, including goldfish, in principle cannot be pregnant - they spawn, which is fertilized by males right in the water.
.I may be wrong, but it seems to me that in children. They do not plan anything, they live in the present - in the moment, in the moment. That is, neither the future nor the past.

Answer from Special[guru]
At the goldfish

Answer from Nikolai Taktarov[guru]
Put a rake in your hallway.
Read your question in a week or two.
God bless you, Yuri!

Answer from Neurosis[newbie]
For "_one_such_Victoria_Supreme Mind (202690)" specially:
1. There is a memory, there is a reflex - you are a "higher mind" - you are confusing and deeply mistaken ... the presence of a reflex does not determine the properties of memory ....
2. The lateral line is a system of orientation in space - absolutely all fish, goldfish have nothing to do with it - the only question remains - how much this species differs from others ...
3. At the expense of "pregnancy" - you are also mistaken - there is a place - where the female will spawn, and there are a lot of ways to be stupid - on the way to this place - each fish has a great variety 😉
4. At the expense of children, I personally think that children are born brilliant - but parents successfully fight this - especially about parents like you - this is especially true ....
So - if you don’t understand me - then - 6 seconds of memory is not only about goldfish- it's also about your personality 😉

Top 5 animals with better memories than humans

4 (80%) 2 votes

Man considers himself the crown of evolution, because it was he who invented airplanes, computers and the Internet. However, compared to some animal species, we can't compete in terms of memorizing numbers, objects, and the efficiency of long-term and short-term memory. We will introduce you to animals whose memory is much better than that of humans.

Repeatedly "sung" in science fiction films, chimpanzees actually demonstrate the wonders of short-term memory. At the University of Kyoto (Japan), a comparative experiment was carried out.

A group of chimpanzees were taught to count to ten and had a competition with a group of people on the accuracy of remembering flashing numbers on a computer screen in a different sequence. The test consisted of reproducing the location of the numbers in the correct ascending order. Chimpanzees showed much top scores than people.

by the most interesting fact is that the duration of the display of numbers on the screen did not affect the quality of their memorization and reproduction. Scientists have unanimously concluded that chimpanzees have an amazing photographic memory.

While the trainers were teaching the sea lions cheap tricks, they noticed outstanding ability long-term memory those clumsy sloths. Scientists from the University of California Santa Cruz taught a sea lion named Rio to remember and identify similar objects. She was shown cards with symbols, among which she identified the same.

However, the most surprising thing happened ten years later, when scientists decided to repeat this experiment with Rio again. She was shown not only symbols, but also numbers and letters, which she successfully identified and found a match for them. Even after so many years, given that sea lions live no more than 25 years, Rio showed a truly phenomenal long-term memory.

3. Elephant

Elephants always know where each member of their family is, regardless of direction or distance. The elephant is able to remember and track the location and movement of up to 30 members of its herd.

This ability is realized with the help of a mental map, which the elephant makes and keeps in memory, updating it with the help of a sensitive sense of smell. Thus, elephants use the “elephant” part of their brain in constant activity, which indicates the high performance of the working memory of these amazing animals.

What is so special about the working memory of octopuses? Unlike other invertebrates, octopuses have well-developed short-term and long-term memory, which works through one and a half billion neurons.

At the same time, its active memory is absolutely autonomous and does not depend on passive long-term memory. If people could also selectively use their memories, their genius would be unmatched.

1. American Nut (Nucifraga columbiana)

This little bird is able to memorize the location of 33,000 pine nuts. The most amazing thing is that they hide small nuts in fallen leaves and can easily find them in winter under the snow. This bird has amazing spatial memory, which helps her remember individual objects and reproduce their location.

Moreover, the hippocampus of the walnut (the part of the brain responsible for the transition of short-term memory to long-term memory) continues to produce neurons and in adulthood. And this means that while human memory deteriorates with age, it only gets better.

The amazing animal world continues to amaze us with its wonders. How many more secret abilities do our smaller brothers keep, which are yet to be revealed?