How do we remember specific locations? How do we remember how to get to and from areas? Explore the science of spatial memory at Pacific Science Center’s next exhibit, Memory: Past Meets Present opening September 17.
Our brains are masters of mental mapping. Learn how we acquire, consolidate, and retrieve our memories. Explore a model of a human brain and discover how our understanding of the brain has evolved over time.
Then, focus on spatial memory: memories about where things are. Research has shown the brain has its own built-in GPS system, which helps us make mental maps of where we’ve been. In order to find our way, we need to know where we are, what we’re looking for, and where we’re going.
Scientists have learned our goals and motivations determine what we pay attention to along the way and ultimately what we remember. Make surprising discoveries about what gets included in your mental maps through a touch-table game about foraging for food in the forest. Challenge your memory skills by testing a technique used by ancient Greeks and Romans to memorize epic poems with the help of their spatial memory.
Current research from the University of Washington sheds light on how our brains record spatial information and also may help scientists develop a diagnostic tool to detect early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
