Attention and Memory
Introduction
It is very difficult to establish a sense of self and of the environment without the individual's capability to retain short and long term memory. The human brain is one of the most interesting organs that experts have yet to fully comprehend the dynamics and complexities of its physiology let alone understand how the mind works to create individual cognitive thought processes that make up their personalities. In light of this fact, it stands to reason that many research studies have been conducted to determine what forms memories take, how they are established, stored and retrieved (Fuster, 1999). In this paper, we will be narrowing the issue further by focusing on the principles of visual spatial memory and how that knowledge can be applied within the classroom setting.
Physiology of Memory
Information from studies about the human brain and memory can be applied into the classroom environment considering that children, during the critical period in their development, spend a great deal of time in these settings. Referring to an article entitled: Connecting Developmentally Appropriate Practices to Brain Research, the author, Mr. Rushton (2001) states that the brain changes physiologically as a result of experience and new dendrites are formed every day by "hooking" new information to prior experiences.