How memory works (5)

OK, you are looking at your own house from the street. The information is processed by a vision sensory memory which is like a first computer in your brain. It does not stay there, because whatever happens in that computer is not going to stick around very long. If you want to remember your own house, the information goes to the step number 2: in a bigger computer called short term memory or working memory. There is not much capacity in that second computer: you cannot stock much information at once (like no more than a phone number at a time) and you cannot stock the information very long (up to about a second: that is why it is called short term.)So to really remember your house tomorrow, the information about your house has to go much deeper into your brain processing. But let us stop at this step: working memory. Working memory helps you remember phone numbers for enough time to dial them, and up to seven information, allowing you to make a link between them. In her book "Animals in translation", Temple Grandin makes the hypothesis that dogs who get tangled around a pole cannot untangle themselves because they do not have enough working memory to work out which way to turn to free the leach. I do not know if it is true, but indeed, very intelligent dogs are helpless with that situation.

What happens between the sensory memory and the short term memory: you pay attention. If you don't, the information is lost.

It is a step that we cannot bypass: you go from short term to long term. If short term is affected, there is no long term acquisition. So, how can you loose your short term memory capacity?
Most people nowadays think of Alzheimer, as it is a leading cause of memory loss with elderly people. But what can affect kids? As far I understand, there is a large array of causes such as, for example: convulsions (some types of epilepsy), inflammations (like meningitis or malaria), some brain injuries (good reason to wear a helmet when required!), and of course drugs and alcohol.
Let your kids know that marijuana can affect memory. This has been known quite some time. A scientific paper by Lunkvist (2005) states this: "Cannabis induces loss of internal control and cognitive impairment, especially of attention and memory, for the duration of intoxication. Heavy cannabis use is associated with reduced function of the attentional/executive system, as exhibited by decreased mental flexibility, increased perseveration, and reduced learning, to shift and/or sustain attention."