Psychologists have known for some time that if we experience a novel situation within a familiar context, we will more easily store this event in memory. But only recently have studies of the brain begun to explain how this process happens and to suggest new ways of teaching that could improve learning and memory.
Novelty Detector
One of the most important brain regions involved in discovering, processing and storing new sensory impressions is the hippocampus, located in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. Novel stimuli tend to activate the hippocampus more than familiar stimuli do, which is why the hippocampus serves as the brain’s “novelty detector.”
The hippocampus compares incoming sensory information with stored knowledge. If these differ, the hippocampus sends a pulse of the messenger substance dopamine to the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain. From there nerve fibers extend back to the hippocampus and trigger the release of more dopamine. Researchers call this feedback mechanism the hippocampal-SN/VTA loop.
This feedback loop is why we remember things better in the context of novelty. As Shaomin Li and his colleagues at Trinity College Dublin discovered in 2003, the release of dopamine in the hippocampus of rats activates the synapses among nerve cells, creating stronger connections that lead to long-term memory storage. New research asks whether this same neuronal loop facilitates the retention of other information that is perceived along with novel stimuli.
The research, using magnetic resonance imaging to measure the activity of various brain regions based on blood flow, presented one group of test subjects with a set of already known images and a second group with a combination of known and new images. Subjects in the second group were better at remembering the images than subjects in the first group were, and showed greater activity in the SN and VTA areas of the brain when the subjects were viewing unfamiliar images. This correlation may help explain how novelty improves memory.
Increased Retention
Are the effects of novelty on memory merely temporary? To answer this question, the researchers showed test subjects a variety of photographs and measured their brain activity. They also gave the participants a series of words to sort according to their meaning.
The experiment continued the next day when they showed some of the test subjects new images while others viewed familiar ones. Then we asked all the subjects to recall as many words from the previous day’s exercise as they could. Recall was significantly better in the group that had just viewed new images.
In other words, novelty seems to promote memory. This finding gives leaders and HR practitioners a potential tool for structuring their messages more effectively. Although most companies start a "corporate message" by going over material from the previous communication before moving on to new subject matter, they should probably do just the opposite: start with surprising new information and then review the older material.
Source Scientific American
