Study Examines How Brains Process and Recall Sounds

Researchers at the University of Iowa have found that when it comes to memory, humans don’t remember the things we hear as well as the things we see or touch. Their findings indicate that the human brain may use separate pathways to process information, and that the parts of our brain wired for memory are not completely integrated like we tend to think. Furthermore, the study suggests that the brain may process auditory information differently than visual and tactile information. Results from the study found that when 100 students were exposed to a variety of sounds, visuals and tactile objects, the students were least likely to remember the sounds they had heard. In a second experiment, participants’ memories were tested using things they might encounter on an everyday basis. Students listened to audio recordings of a dog barking, watched silent videos of a basketball game, and touched/held common objects away from view, such as a coffee mug. The researchers found that between one hour and one week later, students were least likely to remember the sounds they heard, but their memory for visual scenes and tactile objects coincided. Both experiments show that we remember less of what we hear, regardless of whether or not sounds are linked to words. To read more about this study, click here.