Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Random question

I tried to search the forum but didn't find anything,... I know i've read some things about memory and GT but can't seem to find them now... does anyone know what relationship memory has with GT? What is a 3 y/o, for example, "supposed" to remember? Does it even matter?!?!

just curious. he seems to remember random stuff from eons ago all the time, and it always floors us... but we're easily impressed. they're our kids, after all.

My daughter seemed to remember everything until about age 4. Then, she began forgetting quite a bit - I guess she was selecting. It was strange. She remembers everything she ever learned, but she does not remember personal things and memories (which hurts). This is typical of all children, but I was still shocked when it happened.

She is more focused on facts, not people (like my husband). I can remember the entire lineage of the Romanovs, but can't remember how much the bread costs that I just purchased. They both remember the price of everything and we argue about this.

I love studying memory (having been a computer programmer).

My daughter is very forgetful (at 11), but never forgets facts. She never remembers where anything in the house is located and probably needs a full-time secretary.

It is so strange to watch this happen, though. She truly seemed to remember everything that happened up to a certain age.

My DS definitely has selective memory. He knows every Pokemon ever created, what world their from, how they evolve, what they evolve too etc. (for those of you not familiar, there are 100's of these) He never forgets anything related to math, ever! But ask him what the movie was about last night, and you get "I don't know". His level of passion defines his memory completely.

BWShari, my DD is the same way! She knows all sorts of facts on Greek mythology that I've never heard of before, but she can't remember to put on socks before coming down for school every morning!

Mr W remembers people very well, even if he just saw them once. He pointed out a friend of DW's in a line whom he'd only met once when he was 3 months old.

I've been thinking about memory a lot, wondering how much he will recall as he gets older. I can recall the moon landing in 1969 even though I was just a bit older than Mr W then. I wonder how much language skill update erases the earlier memories?

A propos of language acquisition and long-term memory, Austin, you might be interested in a book I read some years ago: "The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind," by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and Patricia Kuhl. Or p'raps you've already read it; I don't remember it really well (since my own memory is deteriorating, sigh), as I read it before Harpo was born, but I do remember enjoying it a great deal, and having a few "aha" moments in his babyhood.

peace
minnie

I agree with Shari. Interest and passion play a huge part in memory.

Hmmm... so i definitely get selective memory, big man is like that. what'd you do today often comes with "i don't remember" but details from forever ago are easily recalled. I guess i think of the forgefulness as driven by distraction - "i remember what i learn, but not what i do b/c my brain is on so many things at once...."...

So, is it related to GT? Or are kids just random like that? Does one have to do with the other in any way? I mean, is it odd for a 3 y/o to remember what plate (pooh) / food (pasta, no, spaghetti!)/ reaction (I didn't want to eat it, i was full) he had at a restaurant (and in what location - ok, he was off a country, but to be fair we were in 3 in one week...) 4 months ago?

Certainly, remembering someone you only met once at 3 mo. is crazy amazing to me, but maybe at 3 years it's not that big of a deal?

I guess what surprises me more is when little things are remembered, not things they've researched/studied,etc., but random things, like the name of the chapter we left off on a week ago in one of the 10 books we've been reading, the name of one of the 46 Mr. Men books in which one of the other Mr. Men makes a cameo (books not looked at since months ago)... random stuff. Does it matter?

I like that memory itself is of interest. it's fascinating to me. For me it's the completeness of memory - sounds, smells, times/places. Anyway, i babble. I love reading your responses.

I added it to the list.

I would think that for sure memory and giftedness is correlated.
But dk the stats on that.
My personal experience w/DS is yes extremely good memory.