PUZZLE PIECES

An article in last weekend's Toronto Star got me thinking about my own beliefs and values.

Here are a few excerpts from the story entitled, "The facts, and how you see them", by Jennifer Smola.

"In a recent study, Ohio State researchers found that when given accurate statistics on a controversial issue, people tended to misremember numbers to match their own beliefs.

For the study, participants were given factual numerical information about four societal issues. Based on pretests, researchers found that the numbers for two of the societal issues matched many people's understanding of the matter. But for the other two issues, the numbers didn't fit with their understanding. For the numbers that were inconsistent with how people view the issue, participants were more likely to remember the numbers incorrectly, in a way that matched their probable biases.

People tend to think of their memories as simply a video recording device, taking in everything and repeating it back when they need it....But lots of research in psychology indicates memory doesn't work that way.

Instead, think of memory as a jigsaw puzzle - sometimes you're missing some pieces, or you've got pieces from multiple boxes dumped on the same table."

The article resonated with me for three reasons.

First, in dealing with children, I am constantly amazed by their perfect recall of most everything. Without a need to sort through multiples storage boxes, they digest new information in its entirety.

Second, the puzzle analogy for memory also explains why so many people set binary thinking as their default mechanism; either the puzzle piece fits or it doesn't. Though not consistent with the concept of 'lifelong learner', I suppose binary sorting is often a necessary coping mechanism in this complex world.

And finally, if memory indeed is like a jigsaw, I sure hope I can continue to keep track of all my puzzle pieces.