Forgetting is Learning and More Interesting Research on Memory, Learning, and Social Media Algorithms

For this weekend review I’d like to look into various aspects of memory and learning — the one that has likely attracted your attention, and did the rounds a few weeks ago, is that of forgetting actually being a form of learning!

This sounds attractive to us more forgetful older (and younger people). Now we can say we’ve just learnt something when we’ve forgotten it….ummm is this really the case? I explain below.

But, as many of you know I am a systemic thinker, I see and like to report on connections to other stuff. This same mechanism is also related to group memories and group learning: how we in groups and societies learn and remember collectively — research has also recently been published on this.

And finally, on the same topic, some new pieces have also been published that look at new insights into how memory actually works in the brain and the specific mechanisms that stimulate plasticity and growth of connections in the brain. Read on:

Forgetting is learning

That title is attractive but the paper published sounds more complex. It is titled: Adaptive expression of engrams by retroactive interference. So what does this mean?