What is memory? Can it be changed? This story from the people at Radiolab explores these questions from the perspectives of two very different people; and we open with a third person: an acerbic essayist named Andrei Codrescu.

The first of the two people is a psychologist named Dr Elizabeth Loftus. Her research principally concerns whether or not memories can be changed, or whether or not false memories can be implanted?!

The second is the story of an artist whose paintings seem to slowly be revealing a memory long forgotten/ignored—a supressed memory?

Here's the link to the story we listened to: http://www.radiolab.org/story/91573-adding-memory/

Here is the link to the article about note-taking that we discussed (and will continue to frequently discuss) during class.

Your assignment is to do what the article says you should do: handwrite "generative" notes. What does that mean? Summarize, paraphrase, diagram, and so on. These are the key to what psychologists call "elaboration" and it is the key to encoding information into your short-term memory.

Related, of course, is the TED talk Feats of memory anyone can do.