Is it normal for a person to lose athought within 15 seconds?

[Deja Q]

I had listened to NPR and heard something revolting (a christmas tune with an unusual musical style...)

Anyway, between then and now (20 secs) I forgot the name of the song.

Is that normal?

Is that normal if that happens all the time?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. Totally normal

There are "internal procedures" to move memory from short-term to long-term storage. If you don't follow them, poof they go. Happens most often with dreams.

[Guaranteed]

3. Yup...I can only remember my dreams

for the first ten seconds or so of waking up- and usually I'm still drowsy as hell.

The only way I can remember them is if I lay there, straight out of sleep, and go over them. The moment I start thinking of something else, they're gone.

[katinmn]

11. what are the internal procedures you mentioned?

Is it something you can train yourself to do?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. Talking out loud about it is pretty effective, for instance.

Making some relations in your mind helps too. The sillier the better. Like "What will be my neighbor's reaction if I go take the garbage outside in my underwear?"

[katinmn]

13. Ahhhh! Well I've been doing that when I help my daughter

study for tests.

I try to help her create a visual image and it's usually something silly.

[blondeatlast]

2. I do it all the time. I'll walk into a room and forget why I went there.

I'd say it was the hair dye for me, but I did it as a boring brown, too, so it's just human, HT.

[Cuban_Liberal]

4. Perfectly normal.

Happens to me all the time... What was the question?

;)

[zanana]

5. It makes me worry about senile dementia!

My mother has Alzheimer's and I'm her caregiver. As a result, I think of Alzheimer's whenever something like that happens to me. I actually think it's caused by stress, but it bothers me anyway.

[Left Is Write]

6. I'm sorry.

I forgot what I was going to say.

[baldguy]

7. I've misplaced my glasses.

I had to get up to blow my nose (damn cold!), so I took them off. When I came back to put them on again ..... ?

OK, I've found 'em. (But I didn't even GO into the kitchen!)

[aQuArius]

8. Huh? What did you say?

I forgot.

[steely]

9. I think it's been happening more and more.

But I forget.

My cousins and I met (pre-holidays) and we discussed the same thing, and had a laugh.

I chalk it up to umm, err, age - but my wife beats herself up over it.

The thought comes back later on, so I don't fret too much.

does tend to piss one off I'll admit.

hang in there :-)

[dolo amber]

10. *15* seconds?

What'd you do, take memory courses or something? My average is about 2.7 seconds... x(

;)

[Magrittes Pipe]

16. I think you're slipping....

Really, it's around 2.3 now.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. How old are you?

Brian cells stop reproducing at about age 25. Short term memory is pretty much downhill from then on.

[Deja Q]

15. 32. Your info is good to know.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Thanks but don't sweat it

By the time you are my age, you won't care anymore. Another gift of getting older. :)

[sundog]

17. yes

all relative to how many brain cells you fried along the way :P

[skygazer]

18. It's normal for me

My long term memory is great though, so I know I'll remember it in another 20 years.

[vinnievin777]

20. I lose a thought

every two seconds

Vinnie Vin
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1932852344/qid=1086103239/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-2852423-2023849?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

http://www.vinnievin.com

[MAlibdem]

21. working memory...

you can only hold 7 items (give or take 2) in working (formerly known as short-term) memory. If you do not think very hard about what is in short term memory enough to create proper neural connections, you will forget the item.

Thank you PSYC 1...I got an A.