Memory and Reasoning

A Moment of Science · Jan 7, 2026 · 2m

D:You might think that knowledge and memory go hand in hand.

Y:Sure.

D:Mostly you're correct. However, in some cases, knowledge can actually hurt one's ability to remember.

Y:You mean a person's memory can be so filled up with knowledge that there isn't room for more?

D:No. But our knowledge can make us too quick to dismiss details that we don't consider important. And so we don't remember them. Let me give you an example. See this photograph of a cat?

Y:I see it.

D:This cat has beta cells in its body.

Y:Okay.

D:Now thumb through these photographs of various animals and tell me which ones…