Sleep Improves Memory
Sleep Improves Memory
Summary
The article reviews the importance of sleep in enhancing the memory of individuals. Specifically, the article looks at the importance of sleep in enhancing the memory of adolescents. The article particularly looks at declarative memory i.e. the memory responsible for recollection of facts. The ability of adolescents to recall facts is essential especially in their school work. Declarative memory is responsible for school performance and social functioning of adolescents. Adolescents are required to recollect what they study in class (Potkin, & Bunney, 2012). They should be able to recollect the information as reflected in assignments and examinations. The article involves conducting a study to determine the effects of sleep on declarative memory. The study is based on findings that adolescents do not get ample sleep help affecting their declarative memory. The study, which included 40 male and female adolescents from 10-14 year of age, indicated that declarative memory significantly improved among the participants that got adequate sleep.
Research Methods
According to the institutional review board, the research study was an exempt as it did not rely on personal identifiers, but the use of educational tests. The research method took a qualitative approach where the main aim was to gain an understanding on the effect of sleep of the declarative memory. The research also involved a small sample comprising of 20 female and 20 male adolescents aged between 10-14 years (Potkin, & Bunney, 2012). The sample selection strategy excluded adolescents who have accelerated performance and also those with a history of academic failure. Adolescents with sleep problems were also exempted from the study. The students were asked to participate in a school project then sit for a 15 minutes test. The participants were then grouped according to their gender and separated into two groups. One group was assigned to sleep while the other group was assigned to no sleep conditions.
Theoretic Approach
The research study takes a cognitive theoretical approach to the study. They aim to demonstrate that the process of learning involves an internal process in which information is integrated into one’s intellectual structure. The research also aims to demonstrate how behaviors such as poor sleep tendencies can interfere with an in individual learning process. There is thus a relation between sleep patterns and internal process of learning. The research involved testing of the participants in their homes. The tests included standards tests on the declarative memory. The participants were to read out a series of unrelated words. The group assigned to sleep was given the first test after which they sleep for 12 hours before the second text. The no-sleep group did the first tests then after 12 hours of no sleep they were given the same test.
Study Findings
The separation of gender for the test produced no significance difference in terms of results. The test on numbers and test on letters demonstrated a result of 6.58 for sleep group and 6.06 for the no-sleep group. On the second round of tests, the score stood at 6.26 and 6.33 for the sleep and no-sleep group. There was a 20% increase in long-term memory for participants put to sleep (Potkin, & Bunney, 2012). The participants also engaged in a paired associated test which revealed that the performance of the adolescents was significantly affected by sleep. Tests on the working memory in sleep and no-sleep group demonstrated not significant difference. This was indicator that as long as content is already encoded in an individual, the working memory will be unaffected by sleep deprivation. Overall, the findings indicated that the declarative memory was affected by the period of sleep and not the time of the day effects. An adolescent can study adequately day or night as long as he had adequate sleep at one moment.
Conclusion
The topic on the effect of sleep and performance is vital. There has always been an assumption that sleep is a luxury that hard working people cannot entertain. The truth, as demonstrated in the research findings is that without adequate sleep and individual cannot perform adequately. In the academic sector, sleep is vital to improve one’s declarative memory. Sleep deprivation or inadequate sleep leads to short term memory which is detrimental to the performance of students. Sleep promotes memory consolidation in spite of of the time. It is vital for instructors to encourage their students to get ample sleep. With a fresh mind, a student is in a position to grasp the contents taught in class. It is also vital to encourage students to take naps in their free time so as to improve their memory. This article increased my interest in psychology in relation to my major in education. Teaching is more than just passing knowledge to the students. Instructors must be keen to ensure that their students have the capability to grasp what they are being taught. Sleep is vital for long term memory, which is vital for excellent academic performance.
Reference
Potkin, K. & Bunney, W. (2012). Sleep improves memory: effect of sleep on long term memory in early adolescence. PLoS ONE. Vol. 7(8): e42191
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