Observation and Memory Name: ______
Making and documenting good observations is a key to being successful in Chemistry class and lab. This worksheet gives insight into our human brains, memories and their limitations. Read and complete the following activities and then answer the questions.
Someone that might witness an accident or crime, when asked by police, cannot call up an instant replay of what was seen. That person must rely on their memory. However, our human brain has many limitations, here is an example:
You are walking down the street one day when you witness the man pictured below commit the violent crime of robbing an elderly woman’s handbag.
When questioned by the Police you were asked to identify the assailant from the following photo lineup. Which man 1-6 was the man that committed the crime?
Another reason why our memories often fail is that most people don’t actually make good observations to start with. Many people also may forget facts and “fill in the gaps” with false ideas of what actually occurred. The information we fill in the gaps with is that which we are previously biased toward or have past knowledge of. Most people have difficulty remembering more that six or seven items in a series.
Another recollection test:
Without looking at a real penny, are you able to pick out the exact copy below?
Questions (answer in full sentences):
1) Give a specific problem that could occur in the chemistry lab as a result of you trying to use your limited memory.
2) Since your memory is not as good as you think what should you do in the chemistry lab to avoid the problem you described in question 1 above?
3) In light of your memory limitations, what do you need to do while experimenting so that you can communicate your findings to other scientists so they can replicate your exact experiment in order to verify your findings?
(For class, the teacher will act as the other scientists.)