: New study examines memory of expert birdwatchers #IndiaNEWS #Science Washington , July 9 (ANI): According to a new study that examined memory in expert birdwatchers, having expert knowledge in a

New study examines memory of expert birdwatchers #IndiaNEWS #Science
Washington [US], July 9 (ANI): According to a new study that examined memory in expert birdwatchers, having expert knowledge in a subject helps us memorize new information. This is because, while forgetting often happens when similar memories interfere with each other, expert knowledge provides a mental organizational structure or scaffolding, that helps us keep new items that we want to learn distinct from each other. This reduces confusion between similar items, in this case, similar-looking birds.
Unlike memory functions that tend to decrease with age, expert knowledge often continues to accumulate as we get older. This makes it an area of strength in older adults that we may be able to harness to mitigate age-related memory decline and improve quality of life for this group, says Dr. Erik Wing, a postdoctoral fellow at Baycrests Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and the lead author of this study.
To study the effects of expertise on memory, Dr. Wing and his team recruited local bird experts from community organizations such as the Toronto Ornithological Club and Toronto Field Naturalists. For comparison, they also recruited experts in gardening, fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities as a control group.
To identify how knowledge changes mental organization, both groups of participants were shown sets of bird images and asked to arrange them visually on the screen according to perceived similarity. Most experts tended to group birds based on specific features, such as the structure of the beak or the shape of the tail, even for bird species that they had never seen before. In contrast, the non-experts, as well as some of the experts, based their grouping on more superficial features like colour.
Next, the researchers tested participants memory. They first showed each participant a series of bird photographs. Then, they showed them a second series, containing both new and old birds, and asked the participants to indicate whether or not they had already seen each bird in the first series of photographs. The researchers found that those who grouped birds based on specific features performed better in the memory task than those who grouped birds based on colour. This difference was seen not only between experts and non-experts, but also between the experts themselves, as those who grouped birds superficially based on colour had worse memory than those who did not. High similarity between items often hinders memory, but having well-established mental organization helps to avoid this problem. These findings suggest that a higher degree of expertise and knowledge organization supports memory.
Having more years of education, more areas of interest and more hobbies seems to reduce dementia risk and support memory in old age, says Dr.

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