How much do we remember from our childhood? This is one of the questions examined recently by Canadian research scientists.
I’ve just finished reading Blanks for the Memories which highlights aspects of the research originally published in the journal Child Development…Read more.
Posted in Interviewing, Personal historian, Questions, Tips
Tagged Canada, childhood, How to, Interviewing, Life stories, memories, memory, Personal historian, recall, senses, sensory, Tips, unlock
It’s Monday and another Link Roundup. This week I was struck by the wisdom in Post Secret. For those who’ve faced the challenge of interviewing some reserved older clients, this article is for you. More food for thought in The Counter-Intuitive Benefits of Small Time Blocks. The author suggests there is a way to get larger creative projects done by making the best use of small chunks of time.
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Posted in Monday's Link Roundup
Tagged autobiography, biography, Blog, blogging, DIY, genealogy, How to, learnable skill, link roundup, productivity, research, Resources, senses, time, Tips, virtual conference, Writing
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.
~Diane Ackerman
How much do we remember from our childhood? This is one of the questions examined recently by Canadian research scientists.
I’ve just finished reading Blanks for the Memories which highlights aspects of the research originally published in the journal Child Development.
Neuroscientists believe that there are different kinds of memories, stored in many different neural circuits. “We can’t go to a particular spot in the brain to see where our third birthday party is stored,” says Dr. Hudson….
Scientists think the brain’s prefrontal cortex processes experiences, using sensory input from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth, sorts them into categories, and tags the various memory fragments with specific associations (smells of home, friends from camp, bugs, a pet, for example).
Reading this made me realize how important the senses are to unlocking childhood memories. I must admit I could do a better job of incorporating sensory questions into my interviews. To get me pointed in the right direction, I’ve written a few sample “sensory” questions below.
I tested some out on my mother and she had great fun. It turns out that a taste she strongly associates with her childhood is jelly beans. Her mother would carefully count out five each for her and her two siblings. Today this may not sound like much but during The Depression jelly beans were a real treat!
How much do you incorporate sense-related questions into your interviews? Do you have a favorite “sensory” question?
Sight
Sound
Taste
Touch
Smell
Photo by h.koppdelaney
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Posted in How to, Interviewing, Life stories, Personal historian, Questions, Tips
Tagged childhood, How to, Interviewing, Life stories, memories, memory, Personal historian, recall, senses, sensory, Tips, unlock
I’ve been reading a remarkable book by Ojibway storyteller, Richard Wagamese. Recently published, One Native Life, is a memoir about roots and the power of recollection to heal. For anyone contemplating the writing of their own story or the story of another, I can’t think of a better book to inspire you.
I was struck by a passage that made me realize how sound and light can be triggers for recalling forgotten memories. Wagamese writes,
The more I presented myself to the land in those early hours, the more it offered me back the realization of who I was created to be.
I began to remember. The sound of squirrels in the topmost branches of a pine tree reminded me of a forgotten episode from my boyhood; the wobbly call of the loons took me back to an adventure on the land when I was a young man. And there was always the light. The shades and degrees of it evoked people and places I hadn’t thought about in decades. Every one of those walks allowed me the grace of recollection, and I began to write things down.
For me the lonely blast of a foghorn, the wild call of geese flying south and the pounding surf on a rocky beach are just a few of the sounds that can evoke strong memories of my childhood on the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. What are some of the sounds that trigger memories for you?
Wagamese’s book has made me consider other ways our memories can be triggered. Here are a few:
When writing, keep in mind these powerful ways to tap into the rich treasury of memories that lie just below the surface of our awareness.
Photo by Micky
Posted in How to, Life stories, Resources, Writing
Tagged forgotten memories, memoir, Ojibway, recall, Richard Wagamese, senses, Writing
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