BFTP: Can a good memory be a bad thing?
Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 05:16AM 
I was visiting with a local Verizon telephone support person yesterday (we were both chaperones on a middle school field trip). She made an interesting comment about her job.
When someone calls with a question about his/her cell phone operations, the person providing support is expected to use a database to get the correct answer. If the support person does not go to the database but relies on memory instead, the choice will result in a negative performance evaluation. Things change so quickly in the field that not checking for the most recent "fix" is irresponsible.
Verizon then uses a system that rewards good interpersonal skills and the ability to find and use information- a system in which a good memory is not only unnecessary but possibly a liability.
The ability to memorize has always been a critical skill for success in traditional education. (Memorize the capitols of all the countries in Central America, the quadratic equation, today's Spanish vocabulary words, the three branches of government, the dates of World War II ... )
Are we rewarding an obsolete skill set when we give top grades to those with good memories? After all, wouldn't you want your physician, car mechanic, airline pilot, etc. checking for updates rather than relying on a good memory?
Painting - Dali's "Persistence Of Memory"
Reader Comments (3)
I think memory is a useful skill to learn, but even more important is when and how to look things up. I want my doctor to look stuff up - what he/she learned in med school many years ago is wrong. I used to tell my kids"believe about half of what you hear - unless it's from a teacher - then believe about 25 % " Because so often we spout the stuff we learned lo those many years ago and we are just plain wrong.
What we need is good was to "weed" our memory, like we do our collections.
TIm
Hi Tim,
Good to hear from you.
I like expression "weed from memory."
Although I still think of many things I remember from years ago - Kohlberg's stages of moral development, Hiakawa's Abstraction Ladder, and lots of literature that still resonates describing the human condition - "Hope's the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul..."
It's a balance.
Where are you now? Home from Tanzania?
Doug​
Its true that don't depend upon the stuff we learned lo those many years ago.The recent & approriate changes should be taken into consideration while remembering the old things! Sometimes a good memory may be a bad thing for us!