ambidextrous ability and memory??

[undergrad13]

I'm a right handed individual, so that means I'm more left brain oriented.
MY question is, if I were to obtain this ability, I will be able to use both sides of my brain will this increase my memory power? If so, How much will it increase my memory? (Photographic memory maybe 🙂

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[deleted343839]

OK, I'll bite. Why do you need better memory in the first place?

 

[PsyDr]

It's against the tos to seek healthcare advice

 

[WisNeuro]

Sometimes, I think I'm amazed at the misinformation that abounds in lay people when it comes to neuroscience. Then, I remember that we are a country that elected Trump and brought the Kardashians and Real Housewives into prominence, and then my amazement dwindles.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Your premise is false (about handedness generally indicating right/left brain dichotomy- to over-simplify, while everyone's brains are different there isn't much to support dominance of one hemisphere or another - brains are much more complex and nuanced than that). So the answer to your question is no. But it can still be kind of fun to try brushing your teeth or writing with the "wrong" hand.

 

[WisNeuro]

To be somewhat fair, the literature does not help the "dominance" misunderstanding. There is still literature that refers to the "language dominant" hemisphere, which is the left in the vast majority of people, whether or not they are left-handed or not. But yeah, the question can't really be answered because it starts with a false premise, agreed.

 

[undergrad13]

Okay guide me to the correct route. I'm indeed a "lay person" I early don't know what I'm talking about. That's why I asked on the first place. All I want is just help. I really want to improve my memory for school, work and lifestyle.

 

[WisNeuro]

Well, there is no such thing as left-brained or right-brained. That's pop psych garbage that is leftover from long debunked theory and used to peddle ****ty online quizzes. Second, you can give up your hope of achieving photographic/eidetic memory. If you weren't born with it, it just ain't gonna happen, friend. Last, there are techniques and tips you can use to help out with memory, but it will only take you to your inherent ceiling, really. The following is a decent book on the subject, may want to start there.

"Harvard Medical School Guide to Achieving Optimal Memory by Aaron Nelson"

 

[erg923]

Okay guide me to the correct route. I'm indeed a "lay person" I early don't know what I'm talking about. That's why I asked on the first place. All I want is just help. I really want to improve my memory for school, work and lifestyle.

You can read about various techniques such as cued recall, visualization, etc. But I don't really know what the point is? No one really needs this in order to function adequately, or even at a very high level. I have very "average" memory (per testing) and managed to do just fine- earn Ph.D., marry, remember b-days, not forget my kids in the car, etc. If you perceive your memory is impairing your functioning, you need to talk to your doctor, not SDN.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Well, there is no such thing as left-brained or right-brained. That's pop psych garbage that is leftover from long debunked theory and used to peddle ****ty online quizzes. Second, you can give up your hope of achieving photographic/eidetic memory. If you weren't born with it, it just ain't gonna happen, friend. Last, there are techniques and tips you can use to help out with memory, but it will only take you to your inherent ceiling, really. The following is a decent book on the subject, may want to start there.

"Harvard Medical School Guide to Achieving Optimal Memory by Aaron Nelson"

Those quizes are on the same site that told me that my personality is most like Yoda and Harry Potter. Don't you dare question validity!

 

[WisNeuro]

Pssh, you're totally a Chewie.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I have improved my ambidextrous ability so that I could perform better on the basketball court. Am I going left or going right? Ha! I can go either way and finish with either hand! Don't think it changed my cognitive abilities much though. I do find that using strategies for studying coupled with an above average ability for certain types of verbal memory helped me get high exam scores throughout my schooling. On the other hand, my working memory is only average at best so I have to take that into account.

 

[ClinicalABA]

I have improved my ambidextrous ability so that I could perform better on the basketball court. Am I going left or going right? Ha! I can go either way and finish with either hand! Don't think it changed my cognitive abilities much though. I do find that using strategies for studying coupled with an above average ability for certain types of verbal memory helped me get high exam scores throughout my schooling. On the other hand, my working memory is only average at best so I have to take that into account.

Whenever I go fly fishing, I make it a point to every so often cast with my left (non-dominant) hand, just in case. Though we all know correlation is not causation, in the time since I've been doing this, i think my cognitive skills have actually declined, as evidence by my no longer being able to quickly do the 3-piece dog puzzle on the Bayley-III cognitive scale. Oh well- at least the fish don't seem to care what hand I use.

As an only tangentially related side, I recently came across the following article. In summary, a review of published studies shows rates of non-right handedness to be 60% in ASD populations (16% left, 44% mixed-dominance), vs. typical general population reports of 10% left handed, with 10-30% mixed dominance.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Whenever I go fly fishing, I make it a point to every so often cast with my left (non-dominant) hand, just in case. Though we all know correlation is not causation, in the time since I've been doing this, i think my cognitive skills have actually declined, as evidence by my no longer being able to quickly do the 3-piece dog puzzle on the Bayley-III cognitive scale. Oh well- at least the fish don't seem to care what hand I use.

As an only tangentially related side, I recently came across the following article. In summary, a review of published studies shows rates of non-right handedness to be 60% in ASD populations (16% left, 44% mixed-dominance), vs. typical general population reports of 10% left handed, with 10-30% mixed dominance.

View attachment 223314

Not too surprised by that study as I have had quite a bit of experience working with Asperger/HFA kids and have definitely seen some patterns in their cognitive abilities that could be theorized related to hemispherical lateralization or integration of neurological function. We had kids with 160 IQs who could process data like a super-computer, but would be so easily overwhelmed by social interaction. I tend to connect pretty well with these kids because I can relate to them on the love of data and logic level while at the same time being able to translate the mystical social world for them. Interestingly, that goes way back to my high school days.

 

[McB9696]

I am 21 and have eidedic memory, I think..? I have been diagnosed with mental disorders in the past as well. Physchiatrists often despite the diagnosis, though. If I think of how to spell seal, I recall a visual image of S-E-A-L. If I recall riding a bike in a specific memory, I can see and sometimes feel a sort of recollection of pedaling that bike, as well as most of the features of the bike. I however cannot recall memories that are not a visual type. If I DO remember an event I see it. Kind of like "behind the eyes". It's like if I look at a picture on the wall, I can visually see the picture while visualizing a memory. Although I can see BOTH, once I start trying to recall a specific event, my concentration is considerably lessened on the picture. Though I can visually recall, my thought processing is not made of visual images. Any thoughts?? I some slight concentration issues until junior high. Not really knowledgeable on any of this, but I read adults rarely possess eidic memory??

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I am 21 and have eidedic memory, I think..? I have been diagnosed with mental disorders in the past as well. Physchiatrists often despite the diagnosis, though. If I think of how to spell seal, I recall a visual image of S-E-A-L. If I recall riding a bike in a specific memory, I can see and sometimes feel a sort of recollection of pedaling that bike, as well as most of the features of the bike. I however cannot recall memories that are not a visual type. If I DO remember an event I see it. Kind of like "behind the eyes". It's like if I look at a picture on the wall, I can visually see the picture while visualizing a memory. Although I can see BOTH, once I start trying to recall a specific event, my concentration is considerably lessened on the picture. Though I can visually recall, my thought processing is not made of visual images. Any thoughts?? I some slight concentration issues until junior high. Not really knowledgeable on any of this, but I read adults rarely possess eidic memory??

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