People learn while sleeping

People may be learning while they''re sleeping -- an unconscious form of memory that is still not well understood, according to a study by Michigan State University researchers. The findings are highlighted in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Science Daily News reported. Lead Researcher on the project and Assistant Professor of Psychology Kimberly Fenn said, "We speculate that we may be investigating a separate form of memory, distinct from traditional memory systems. There is substantial evidence that during sleep, your brain is processing information without your awareness and this ability may contribute to memory in a waking state." In the study of more than 250 people, Fenn and Zach Hambrick, associate professor of psychology, suggest people derive vastly different effects from this "sleep memory" ability, with some memories improving dramatically and others not at all. This ability is a new, previously undefined form of memory. "You and I could go to bed at the same time and get the same amount of sleep," Fenn said, "but while your memory may increase substantially, there may be no change in mine." She added that most people showed improvement. Fenn said she believes this potential separate memory ability is not being captured by traditional intelligence tests and aptitude tests such as the SAT and ACT. "This is the first step to investigate whether or not this potential new memory construct is related to outcomes such as classroom learning," she said.