The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about how I can apply what we have learned in this class to my major (Biology) is what Dr. Queen told us about multitasking and how none of us can do it effectively. I remembered this when I was reading about community ecology this weekend, (no music was playing). What also comes to mind is the fact that memory is fallible. So how am I supposed to remember what the island equilibrium model is? (I didn't, I had to look it up.) Memory is not only fallible but it changes as we try to recollect it. "We reconstruct the past to fit our schematic expectations" (Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, & Beyerstein, 2010). Our memories change to fit what is happening in the present, they are shaped by other memories and experiences. With this concept in mind I realize why it is a good idea for scientists to accurately record their experimental findings. Without detailed proof of the results, corrupted memory would have to be relied upon.
The excerpts from Proust was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer benefited my studies of biology because it introduced the concept of how the brain regulates memory. I had vague background knowledge of how the brain works but I had never learned the details of how memories can be recalled with prions and CPEB. It also changed my perception of prions which I had associated with deadly degenerative brain diseases. Neurology is an important field of study because if we can understand how the brain works we will be able to understand why memory is fallible.
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