Saturday, June 25, 2005

Memory vs. Intellect

Main Entry: mem·o·ry Pronunciation: 'mem-rE, 'me-m-Function: nounInflected Form(s): plural -ries Etymology: Middle English memorie, from Middle French memoire, from Latin memoria, from memor mindful; akin to Old English gemimor well-known, Greek mermEra care, Sanskrit smarati he remembersDate: 14th century1
a : the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms
b : the store of things learned and retained from an organism's activity or experience as evidenced by modification of structure or behavior or by recall and recognition
2 a : commemorative remembrance b : the fact or condition of being remembered
3 a : a particular act of recall or recollection b : an image or impression of one that is remembered
c : the time within which past events can be or are remembered
4 a : a device or a component of a device in which information especially for a computer can be inserted and stored and from which it may be extracted when wanted b : capacity for storing information
5 : a capacity for showing effects as the result of past treatment or for returning to a former condition; used especially of a material (as metal or plastic) synonyms MEMORY, REMEMBRANCE, RECOLLECTION, REMINISCENCE mean the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered. MEMORY applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered . REMEMBRANCE applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered . RECOLLECTION adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort . REMINISCENCE suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past .
Pronunciation Key
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Main Entry: in·tel·lect Pronunciation: 'in-t l-"ektFunction: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin intellectus, from intellegere to understand  more at INTELLIGENT Date: 14th century1 a : the power of knowing as distinguished from the power to feel and to will : the capacity for knowledge b : the capacity for rational or intelligent thought especially when highly developed 2 : a person with great intellectual powers Pronunciation Key
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One thing people are doing I have noticed is confusing memory with intellect. A person with a good memory may appear intelligent but when their cognitive abilities are tested the actual intellect comes clear. If a person with a good memory attemts to decieve others into thinking they are smart or if same individual is themselves confused by thier own belief that because they can remember minutiae that they must be smart when in fact a good memory does not equal intelligence (After all animals exhibit good memory and we all know that they are only as smart as animals). Not very smart. Though there are mamals which exhibit intellect(dolphins) they are mainly hampered by an inability to use tools or in the case of dolphins limited even though they probably have the intellect to do so. To the layman-They got no hands. Yet I digress.

A person with intellect also may have a poor memory and by outward appearences look moronic but when tested for the cognative using say an IQ test turn up a surprising 133 with a bent for seeing things from the macro versus the memory induced micro.

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