A Shaper Mind: A review of Sharper Mind columns

Don’t worry. Just because I am providing a review in this column, it doesn’t mean I am going to give an exam afterward. I just want to go over some of the most important ideas discussed in this column previously. The reason that I am doing this is because this is my last column. I admit that I just could not remember any topic that had not been examined here. Across the Sharper Mind columns we have examined nearly every topic about memory and thinking worth considering.
So I thought the best thing to do in this column would be to make sure readers take away an overview of improving memory and thinking skills, an overview that may be useful in the future. This column will point out three kinds of information about mental activities that are necessary to the improvement of memory and thinking. First, it is essential that we need to learn the skills for how to do the mental task, or tasks, that are the most annoying to us. Second, paying attention to the world around us enhances our performance of mental tasks. Third, we can improve our performance of memory and thinking tasks by increasing our physiological and emotional readiness.
The Most Annoying Memory and Thinking Tasks
The tasks that one person finds most annoying are often different from what tasks most annoy another person. Nevertheless, two tasks seem to be especially troublesome for everyone: names and appointments. Let’s consider once more what one should do to acquire the names of others and what one should do to meet appointments on time.
Learning names on an introduction is augmented by (1) saying the name immediately on being introduced, (2) saying the name a few more times if in conversation with the person, and (3) writing the name down later. Appointments are best remembered if we (1) plan in the afternoon or evening the things we want to do the next day the night before, (2) set an alarm to remind us, and (3) put one of your shoes on the desk or in your doorway. So that's it when it comes to these two tasks. There are some other things one can try, but these suggestions can usually do the trick.
Enhancing Memory and Thinking by Paying Attention to the World Around Us
We usually do not forget many things right away. When we do not remember something, it is often because we do not have reminders within sight or hearing. When we see or hear something we have forgotten, we often have an “oh, yes, that’s it” moment. Unfortunately, we do not always have things present that will naturally remind us.
If it is important that we not forget something, we can change our environment a little to remind us. A note on a notepad or on one’s hand may suffice to trigger a memory when we look at it. We can also wear an ugly tie or a ridiculous piece of jewelry that will lead others to say something insulting about our poor taste, comments that will make us remember what we wanted to recall.
Of course, alarm clocks or personal data assistants will indicate to us that we have something to do. But once an alarm alerts you to something you have something to do, do it! It is very easy for us to forget after being reminded.
Enhancing Memory by Taking Care of Oneself
When we become more forgetful than usual, it often is because we are preoccupied about some problem or because we have a cold or some other illness. A bad mood and physical discomfort deflect our attention away from what we should be paying attention to. Consequently, frequent errors of memory and thinking can alert us to try harder at mental tasks. Such errors also can tell us to take better care of ourselves.
Being my last column, I want to express my gratitude to the many people who have helped me with the column in various ways over the past couple years. To begin with, I want to thank Max Jones and the Tribune-Star for the privilege of writing this column. Writing it has opened my mind to a variety of issues about memory and thinking. I also thank several people for helping me with my prose: especially Zachary Herrmann, Donna Herrmann and Amanda Herrmann. For a variety of reasons, I thank Michael Gruneberg, Evelyn Carson, Maria Greninger, Rocco Gennaro, Janis Halpern, Charles Hopkins, Margaret Hopkins, Carolyn Toops and the many outstanding psychologists at Indiana State University. And I thank you for reading this column one or more times.
Finally, if you ever want to refresh yourself about some of the suggestions in some past columns, consult the Archives of the Tribune-Star or read SuperMemory II, published by Strategic Book Publishing. I think that there was something else that I wanted to say here but I forget what it was. In any event, I hope that the rest of your life will be memorable in all of the ways that you want.

February 04, 2009 05:40 pm

More entries >>>

Holiday gift giving for the sharper mind

This year, more than most years, gift giving during the holidays is going to be especially challenging. Gift-giving this year will require more accurate remembering and more problems solving than in previous years. Before you decide on gifts for your family and friends, you will need to determine just who you really want to give a gift this year.
Once you have developed a list of those who you will give gifts to, you need to determine how much you can afford to pay for each gift you would like to give. Therefore this column first considers how to remember who you gave gifts last year. Second, to be sure your list is complete, we will also consider how to remember what gifts you were given last year; an accurate list of gifts will remind you of everyone who might be worthy of a gift from you. Third, we will examine how to pay for the gifts that you would like to give this year.

Remembering who gave you a gift last year
Many people find it difficult to remember who gave them a gift last year, or at least it is difficult to remember everyone who gave them gifts. Some people find it difficult even though they only received a few gifts. Even if only a few people gave you a gift, it sometimes is easy to confuse who gave you gifts last year with who gave you gifts in a previous year.
It was suggested in this column about a year ago that readers make a list of everyone who gave them a gift during last year's holidays.
Everyone that took this advice and made such a list should now raise your right or left hand.
I thought so.
In the absence of a list from last year, you still can try to recall the givers off the top of your head. Review in your mind the names of family members, other relatives, and friends who may have given you a gift. If you are unsure about the names of possible givers, ask your significant other to try to recall who gave you a gift last year. Write all of these names down promptly because you will most likely forget some of them in the next 10 minutes.
If you work in an office, don't worry about who gave a gift at the office party. Hardly anyone remembers everyone who attended the party, let alone who gave what to whom. For one reason or another, office parties are not well-remembered.
Remembering what gifts you were given last year
To make sure that you can identify everyone who gave you a gift, it helps to remember what gifts you were given. The name of a gift will likely remind you of who gave it. However, it is difficult sometimes to remember precisely the gifts we have received. It is not that those of us who forget gifts given last year are insensitive. Even if you were given only a couple gifts, it is easy to confuse what gifts you were given last year with gifts you received in a previous year. Some things are hard to remember.
It was suggested in a Sharper Mind column about a year ago that readers should make a list of everything you were given during last year's holidays. If you took that advice and made such a list, please raise your right or left hand.
Again, I thought so.
If you do not have list from last year, recall the gifts you received then as accurately as possible. If you have trouble remembering all of your gifts, ask your significant other about what gifts you received. (Except don't ask significant others what they gave you. Doing so could cause you a lot of trouble. They will regard their gift as unforgettable even if it was not).
If you work in an office, don't worry about recalling what gifts you received at the office party. Hardly anyone remembers what he or she received at the office party for the same reason people are hesitant to try recalling every person who was at the party.
Determine how much to spend on gifts this year
If you do everything possible to make the most complete list ever made, you will next have to decide whether all of them deserve a gift. You might not want to give a gift to someone you are angry with. But, come on, this is the season for 'forgiving' (or is that 'for giving'?). Alternatively, you may add someone to your list, someone who has been having a hard time and deserves some kindness.
Once you decide who is worthy of a gift from you, then you will have to figure out how to pay for all of the gifts. At this point you may wonder why you tried so hard to make such a complete list. Forgetting who gave you gifts is cheaper than remembering them.
For most people this year, it will be challenging to buy gifts because of one's budget. In addition, this year it will probably be necessary to also consider the budget of those whom you are thinking of giving a gift. For example, if you have a friend who has had financial problems, you will want to consider carefully the cost of gift to give. You will not want to give a gift that exceeds your friend's ability to buy you a gift. Otherwise, an expensive gift from you may humble your friend. Alternatively, if your friend will not be humbled by a generous gift, you may want to give such a gift. If this case applies, I hope that I have friends like you.

December 03, 2008 11:12 pm

More entries >>>

The pros and cons of cell phones

This column will, first, review why cell phones have a positive effect on our mind. Subsequently, we will consider the dangerous consequences of talking on a cell phone while driving and then the very dangerous consequences of text-messaging on a cell phone while driving,

Benefits of Cell Phones
Some of the benefits of cell phones are obvious. Because they lead us to talk much more with others, these phones have brought many of us closer to those in our family, to our friends, and to acquaintances.
It has even been proposed that mates interact better on cell phones than when face-to-face. A conversation on a cell phone can facilitate romance because it allows one to focus on what someone says without being distracted by his or her gestures, facial expressions, or appearance. Because of the romantic influence of cell phones, my wife and I have chosen to avoid talking to each directly, and instead to talk to each other on cell phones as much as possible

Dangers of Talking on Cell Phones while Driving
Talking on a cell phone while driving has been shown to be very risky. Research has shown that talking on a cell phone leads people to not see everything on the road. For example, without a cell phone, drivers see a child on a bike crossing the path of their car. With a cell phone, drivers often do not see child on the bike.
Similarly, without a cell phone, drivers routinely notice a traffic light change, even when not expecting it. With a cell phone, drivers often do not see the change in the light and continue into a busy intersection. Many accidents have happened when drivers were using their cell phone.
A lot of research has assessed how much drivers fail to recognize a situation as dangerous as a function of different kinds of distractions. This distractibility has been assessed when a driver talks with a passenger, when listening to the radio, when having drunk alcohol beyond the legal limit, and when using a cell phone.
Drivers, of course, detected dangerous situations best when driving without distractions. Alternatively, drivers failed to see dangerous situations most often when using a cell phone and when legally drunk.
Indeed, distractibility when using a cell phone was comparable to that when legally drunk. Driving was not risky when listening to the radio or talking with another passenger.
Some people believe wiring a cell phone into a car’s radio/CD/tape system eliminates the distractive influence of cell phones. They assume that cell phones are distracting only when people are holding a cell phone. Holding a cell phone leaves the driver with just one hand to turn the steering wheel. Nevertheless, research indicates that hands-free cell phones are about as dangerous as cell phones held in one hand.
The reason that any kind of cell phone make us more vulnerable to distractions is that conversations on a cell phone lead us to imagine the other person talking and to thinking about what one wants to say next. Talking with a passenger in the car does not require such imagination and, consequently, is not so distracting.
Because of the distracting effects of cell phones, some states have passed laws against talking on cell phones while driving.
No doubt one is taking their life and property at risk when a person talks on a cell phone while driving. If we want to keep Hoosiers safe, Indiana should pass a law with a substantial fine against driving while talking on a cell phone.
Text Messaging
A much more dangerous use of cell phones is to use them to transmit printed messages. This practice has come to be called “text-messaging.” In case you are not familiar with this practice, here is how it works: A person pays the cell phone company additional money for a text messaging account. When a person wants to send a text message, he or she puts the cell phone in a text-messaging mode. Then the sender person presses the buttons used for dialing to make up words. Like the phones in our homes, offices and public places, the numbers on cell phones have letters on each button number representing a number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).
Consequently, you can send a text message by typing the buttons with those numbers that correspond to a word. For example, you can write the name “Donna” by pressing the button 3 which stands for D, the button 6 which stands for O, the button 6 two more times because this button also represents the letter N, and then button 2 for A.
Here is why this practice is dangerous while driving. In order to drive and send a text message, the driver must key in a message with one hand while driving with the other hand. I noted above that talking on a cell phone consumes more attention than when just talking with someone present. Text-messaging requires considerably more concentration. Talking on a cell phone does not require a person to look at the cell phone except when keying in the number to be called. Text-messaging requires a person to continually look at the cell phone: to dial a number, to read messages one is sending, and to read messages as they are received.
Generally, text-messaging is a practice of the young. Because the practice is complicated, it requires a quick mind and fast fingers. Unfortunately, text messaging while driving is downright crazy! Many accidents have resulted from text messaging while driving, including accidents in Terre Haute. If we really want to keep our young Hauteans and Hoosiers safe, Indiana should pass laws as soon as possible to make text messaging while driving a serious offense, resulting in onerous punishments: such as a substantial fine, attendance in a driver education class about why text messaging is ludicrous, and possibly some jail time.

October 08, 2008 07:37 pm

More entries >>>

Activities of daily living that depend on memory

Everyone forgets something that they are supposed to do in everyday life. They may have known what they should do for a long time or for after a minute or so. This column examines the role of memory in some common activities in one’s day.
First, we will examine several memory tasks tackled in the morning to prepare for the day ahead. Second, we will consider how to remember to do all of these memory tasks. Third, we will examine some common activities of daily living that rely primarily on short-term memory and then discuss how to cope with these tasks.

Getting ready for the day
Getting a start for the day involves many different memory tasks that prepare us for the day in general. We have to do these things before we leave home and get on our way. When we leave our home, we need our wallet or/and purse. We should wear everything we need to wear. Our clothing needs to be properly buttoned or zipped. Sometimes we need to remember to wear a certain tie, professional pin or piece of jewelry. We may also need to wear a certain jacket or suit. In addition, our hair should be combed (unless you are young). In the summer, we will need deodorant (unless you are young — I am just kidding people who regard themselves as young). We will need our keys and our glasses. Depending on the nature of one’s job or other responsibilities, we will need to take something to work (papers for a project as well as our planner, personal data assistant, a manual), usually in a briefcase.
It is amazing that we commonly succeed at remembering everything necessary as we prepare for the day. It is amazing also because these tasks rely on considerable knowledge in long-term memory and often on short-term retention of just how we intend to execute these tasks.
As we get ready to leave home for work or some other activity, we progress from one memory task to another. If we remember each one in sequence, all is well. However, it is easy to forget to do everything we intend to do.
Remembering how to prepare for the day
The trick to remember correctly as we prepare is to know that these memory tasks fall into different groups. A wallet or purse enables us to pay for things. Dressing properly, buttoning and zipping, and fixing our hair enhances our appearance. Deodorant, aftershave, and perfume make us smell good. Glasses (and for some, hearing aids) facilitate our senses. Taking our keys and work materials is crucial. Once we check our readiness for these categories, we can ensure that we will remember what we need in order to start the day.
A quick way to double-check these categories is to use the pat, look, and touch technique. Pat one’s rump for a wallet, pat one’s pocket for keys, look in a mirror to see how you look, lift one’s arm and smell, touch one’s nose for glasses, touch one’s ear for a hearing aid, and touch one’s had for things to take to work.
The first letters of these categories spells pplltt (pat, pat, look, lift, touch and touch). These categories can be remembered with the word ‘polit’ – whatever that means. With a little practice you can do the double check so fast that most people who observe you patting, looking and touching will ignore it and just think you are eccentric. (Seeing you as eccentric is not too bad because geniuses are eccentric).
Activities of Daily Living
Getting through the day requires remembering to carry out a variety of actions that depend on memory, especially short-term memory. Many of these tasks begin when we notice that action is called for. After we notice the need for action, we need to remember this need briefly until we take the action.
Many of these tasks involve remembering to turn things off. As we leave a room, we are expected to remember to turn off lights. Appliances in use should be turned off. Faucets should be turned off after filling a sink or bathtub. A toilet roll should be replaced after it is gone (if you like the people with whom you are living).
Many other short-term memory tasks require us to remember to turn something on. We must remember to start a variety of appliances such as the dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer.
Other short-term tasks involve remembering recent location of things. Several new electronic devices are portable. Consequently, people set them down in various places and forget their location or possible locations. For example, people often forget where they put their cell phone. These phones can be ringing loudly and yet people may not remember just where their phone is. As a result, when they ring, people scramble to find them to answer a call or, if only to silence the phone.
Remembering the location of a TV remote is a task frequently encountered in many homes. For example, finding a TV remote becomes crucial right before a favorite show is to come on. The finding process often requires not only remembering where the remote is but also determining who is responsible for remembering the location of the remote. Consider the following dialog that is common in many homes. “Where’s the remote?” “Why should I know. You had it last.” “No I didn’t. You are the one who had it last” “No I didn’t.” You were watching the Olympics” “ No I was watching something else” And so on. Clearly, establishing who was supposed to remember the location of the remote is necessary in order to get this person to seriously try to remember where the remote is or might be.

September 03, 2008 09:20 pm

More entries >>>

Why names and appointments are difficult to remember

Everyone has weaknesses. Mine is popcorn and more popcorn. We also have weaknesses when it comes to memory. I don’t know your memory weaknesses and I don’t care to share mine. But I can tell you the memory weaknesses that most of us say we have.
This column reviews two major memory weaknesses: names and appointments. Then we will briefly review the implications for why we forget names and appointments. Knowing our memory weaknesses can help us better understand how our memory works
Many people say that they have difficulty remembering names. Nearly everyone complains that their memory is awful for names. Put them in an introduction and they instantly forget names of people just met. But is it really true that names are so hard to learn?
As we have discussed before in this column, people who claim their memory for names is awful can pick up names sometimes with lightning speed. For example, introduce someone to a person who is famous, especially good looking, or rich, this someone will pick up that person’s name in a hurry. Also, introduce someone to a person who can help with tasks at home or work, this someone will find that person’s name is easy to learn. Additionally, introduce someone to a person who is infamous, mean, or scary, this someone again will pick up that person’s name.
However, it is true sometimes that it is really hard for us to learn a person’s name. As we have discussed before, in most countries people avoid learning a person’s name until they are sure they want to interact with this person in the future. When we are introduced to someone who is not famous, with average looks, and modest means, that person’s name is hard to learn. If we discover that knowing a person will not be beneficial to us, it is amazing how difficult it is to learn their name. Additionally, if we believe that we probably will not encounter a person again, many of us will still not bother to pick up their name while interacting with this person.
The methods that exist to learn someone’s name are not all that difficult. Repeat the name as you are introduced to someone. Use the name again (and again) as you talk to him or her.
When opportunity permits, discuss the person by name with a friend or acquaintance. Finally, write the name down. This method requires an effort but it is not a lot of work. This is about the same amount of effort you would give to learning a technical term at work or a recipe of interest.
The problem in learning the names of people we are not interested in is just that we don’t want to be bothered to make an effort unless we are sure we will need that name in the future. Saying that we are bad with names is just an excuse for not wanting to make the effort to learn the name in the first place.
Many people say they have difficulty remembering appointments. They say this just after they discover they have forgotten an appointment and when they encounter the person they were supposed to meet. Research indicates that the vast majority of us remember our appointments with a high rate of accuracy, more than 90 percent. So if truth be told, we rarely forget appointments we want to keep.
The appointments we forget are very revealing of why we forget them. Appointments we forget are ones with people whom we wish we had not agreed to meet in the first place. Our liking for others has a lot to do with forgetting an appointment. Like it or not, we prefer to meet with certain people and hope we will not have to meet other people.
If we find a person to be fun, attractive and generous, it is amazing how easy it is to remember an appointment with her or him. If a person is helpful to doing something we have to do at home or work, we also will remember appointments with them. Also, if the person whom we are to meet is infamous, mean, or scary, we will probably remember an appointment with them. However, when we make an appointment with a person who is not famous, has average looks, and has a dull personality, it is hard to remember an appointment with her or him. Saying that we are bad at remembering appointments is just an excuse for not wanting to make the effort to register the appointment in memory in the first place.
The implications of mastering these memory problems: Hmmm? Hmmm? It appears that the reasons we have trouble remembering names have a lot in common with the reasons we have trouble remembering appointments. We remember names and appointments, if we have good reasons to do so. In other words, if we are motivated (positively or out of fear) to remember a person’s name or an appointment, we will remember that name or that appointment. When we are not motivated to register something in memory, it is very difficult for us to remember it later.
If we can identify the personalities of people we really want to associate with, then we will know the nature of people whose name we can easily remember and people with whom we can make an appointment that we will remember. Alternatively, if we can identify the characteristics of people that we find uninteresting and boring, we will know the nature of people whose name is hard to learn and the nature of people with whom we are likely to forget an appointment. The people whom we find uninteresting and boring are the people whose name and appointments we will need to make an effort to remember. Thus, when we find people uninteresting and boring, we are wise to make an effort to remember their name and any appointment we make with them.

August 06, 2008 07:28 pm

More entries >>>

Consider thinking training

It is possible to buy products that are supposed to improve one’s mind? Last month’s column discussed products that aim at improving a person’s memory. As promised, this month’s column reviews products (such as courses, books, tapes, CDs, and CD ROMS) that are aimed at improving a person’s ability to think.
There are two kinds of thinking training that may be considered: critical thinking and creative thinking. We have examined these different kinds of thinking in the past but not while considering different methods of training. However, before we do so, we will reconsider the likelihood of achieving a change in thinking from the different instructional methods that were reviewed in last month’s column on memory improvement.
Instructional Methods: Improving thinking skills is more difficult to achieve than improving memory skills.
Memory improvement is achieved by learning ways to do certain memory tasks. For example, people can learn someone’s name more easily if they repeat the name several times in an introduction. However, improvement in thinking rests on acquiring considerable knowledge about a specific kind of problem as well as acquiring ways to think about the knowledge. What improves thinking for one kind of problem may not work for another kind of problem. For example, the knowledge necessary to lose weight has nothing to do with the knowledge necessary to win at poker.
The greatest amount of improvement in thinking comes from attending a course, that’s on critical thinking or creative thinking, and then from studying what was taught in the course. You can find advertisements for these courses in the backs of respectable magazines (and magazines you should not be opening). These courses are offered in colleges, in management training, and in adult education programs. The best improvement in thinking occurs in courses that teach people how to think about the problems encountered in a certain topic, such as courses that teach somebody how to cook, invest in stocks or how to tune up a car.
If a person does not want to take a course in thinking, improvement in thinking is most likely to occur from reading books on this topic. As you know, just owning a book on improving thinking will not lead to such improvement. Nevertheless, ownership of a book on improving thinking may still help how others regard your ability to think.
If you buy a lot of books on thinking and display them conspicuously on your desk or in a prominent bookcase, others may conclude that you are an expert at thinking. (However, I confess doing so has not seemed to help me much with my significant other, my children, and other members of my family.) None of the other instructional methods (listening to audio tapes, or seeing instruction on a videotape, a CD or DVD) work well because the owners of these products do not attempt to use the thinking techniques enough or even at all.
Critical thinking: Critical thinking courses have become very popular on college campuses in the past two decades. These courses are usually taught in the philosophy departments, but they may also be taught in psychology departments, and really in almost any other department. These courses are often taught in continuing educational courses and they are presented in professional settings, such as in management training. Critical thinking courses emphasize three kinds of techniques.
First, they stress that people should make sure they understand the problems they have to think about. A good understanding of how to solve problems requires us to recognize that some problems do not have a logical solution. Some problems are easier to answer or solve than others because the answers are more predictable.
Second, those taking these courses are taught to check whether they have the knowledge and fundamental assumptions necessary to think about a problem. This foundation will include our own particular view of the world, of what is right and what is wrong, and our orientation to particular problems. If we understand what will qualify as an adequate solution to a problem, we also need to recognize the assumptions that underlie our thinking.
Third, these courses teach logical rules that ensure a person will properly draw the conclusions appropriate to their understanding and knowledge of a problem. Proper reasoning is necessary to put all the pieces of a problem together and to determine the best solution. When problems are clearly stated, the critical thinker will draw conclusions consistent with the statement and the foundation of knowledge that he or she brings to a problem.
Creativity Training. Many people agree that much success in this world comes from creativity. Creative thinking produces solutions to problems that are unique and compelling. A popular way to express the need for creativity is to call it “thinking outside of the box.” Unfortunately, no one tells us where are the sides, bottom, and top of the box, so it is hard to know whether we are still in, or outside of, the box. A lot of creativity courses can be called “b.s.” (where b stands for bull and s stands for stuff).
Some creativity training emphasizes mental exercise. These courses sometimes assume that the mind is like a muscle and that exercising the mind will get it in shape. Research indicates that exercise works best if it is with a specific topic. For example, doctors develop clinical judgment as a result of solving the same kinds of problems over and over. Unfortunately, clinical judgment is useful for medical problems and not for other kinds of problems. So if you want to acquire creative thinking ability, learn as much as possible about the topic at which you want to be a good thinker.

July 09, 2008 08:26 pm

More entries >>>

A Sharper Mind: The science behind commercial methods of mind improvement

It is possible to buy products that are supposed to improve one’s mind. Most of these products aim at improving a person’s memory but many products aim at improving a person’s ability to think. This month’s column reviews products that are supposed to improve a person’s memory. Next month’s column will review products intended to improve a person’s thinking ability.
This column will review several kinds of memory training available for purchase. Occasionally, I will point out weaknesses of certain kinds of products. Consequently, I will not offer brand names in order to avoid being sued for saying something negative about a product. Nevertheless, I will give you enough information about these products in case you want to buy one.
First, we will consider various instructional products for memory improvement, including: tutoring, courses, audiotapes, videotapes and CD/DVDs. Second we will examine products that combine these kinds of instruction with practicing memory techniques after they have been explained. Third, we will review products that rely on practicing techniques in real world situations or practicing performance at perceptual tasks that are assumed to be related to memory performance.
Instructional
products
People can purchase a variety of methods to improve their memory. For example, they can obtain memory training from tutors, courses, audiotapes, videotapes, and CD/DVDs where each kind of training explains how to use various memory techniques to perform different memory tasks. These techniques have been discussed in previous columns. For example, one previous column considered how imagery can be used to remember a person’s name.
Audiotapes, videotapes and CD/DVDs lead to only a little improvement, largely because people do not study them enough. Books probably lead to the least improvement in memory because they require a lot of self-discipline from people to practice the methods discussed in a book. People learn the most from courses. The techniques learned are explained and demonstrated in a course. Classes work better because they are conducted at a regular time and date. Techniques are learned incrementally, a few techniques each week. Unfortunately, while classes show people how they can use a technique, classes still do not give people enough opportunities to practice the methods learned.
Regardless of how much is learned initially with one of these instructional methods, the improvement imparted by these methods usually does not last, although what is learned lasts longer for some methods than for others. Tutoring probably results in the most memory improvement. However, most people who use tutors take too few tutoring sessions because they are expensive. As a result, people who take the tutoring to improve their memory end up receiving little tutoring and learning very little. Regardless of the instructional method used, research has shown that people invariably stop using techniques within a couple of weeks after having learned them.
Apparently none of the instructional methods (tutoring, courses, listening to audio tapes, or seeing instruction on an audiotape, a CD/DVD, or reading a book) work well for most people because they do not practice memory techniques enough. These methods also don’t work for many people because they stop trying to learn from the kind of instruction they have purchased. It appears that many customers of these products believe in the ownership principle. This principle holds that if you paid for a product, it will help you even if you don’t use it. The ownership principle applies to a variety of other self-help programs. For example, I am sure that I lost weight after buying the Scarsdale Diet, the Atkins protein Diet, the Southbeach Diet, and several other diets. However, I admit that I did not read these books and did not lose a lot of weight. The same amount of improvement is gained from just ownership of one of the instructional methods of memory improvement.
Instructional
methods requiring practice
However instructed, those people who practice the memory techniques taught to them learn to use these techniques effectively. But the number of people who do so is very small. Consequently, some tutors and some memory courses deliberately make an effort to require students to practice techniques a great deal.
Unfortunately, the practice provided by tutors or given in courses is often artificial because the practice is not done in real world settings. For example, people may practice techniques for learning names by pretending they have been introduced to people in photographs with names on them. In addition, the practice provided by tutors and courses is typically not enough to lead a person to use the technique after training. Moreover, many people drop out of courses when they discover that they have to practice the techniques in front of other people. Apparently, even when given a lot of artificial practice, the amount of memory improvement is not great.
Exercise methods
Because practice fails when it is insufficient, unrealistic and embarrassing, a method was developed to give people enough practice in realistic situations where embarrassment is not an issue. A few years ago, a series of CD-ROMs were created to tutor individuals in specific kinds of memory skills. These CD ROMs present a user with knowledge about memory techniques and then provide him or her with visual images of realistic situations in which they could practice their use of the techniques by themselves. Research has shown that CD-ROM training does lead people to increase their memory skills.
In addition to the development of CD-ROMs, another very different system has been created to improve memory. This system presents people with a great deal of practice at detecting sounds or lights. The logic of such a system is that extensive practice at perception may stimulate the brain so that nerves might grow. Such stimulation is believed to prevent a decline in neurological functioning. However, more research is needed before it may be concluded that stimulation affects the brain as believed.

June 04, 2008 10:42 pm

More entries >>>

Candidates, superdelegates not lying, just forgetful

Recently, some presidential candidates have apparently forgotten something that others expected them to remember. Also some superdelegates have switched allegiance from one candidate to the other, revealing that they forgot the candidate they originally favored. However, others have claimed that the candidates or superdelegates had not truly forgotten anything. Instead, these critics have accused the candidates or superdelegates of lying when they said that they forgot something. This column examines instances of alleged poor memory or alleged dishonesty raised in three recent political controversies.
You probably know this story but let me review it so we all begin on the same page. Hillary Clinton recalled in a recent campaign speech that she was fired upon by snipers when she arrived at an airport in Bosnia in 1996. She recalled further that she had to run to a vehicle for safety. Subsequently, a TV news channel found footage of video taken of the arrival mentioned by Ms. Clinton. The film clearly showed she arrived without sniper fire and, instead of making a rapid departure to a vehicle, the video showed that she experienced a somewhat prolonged greeting by a party of citizens and politicians.
Shortly after the video was shown in news reports, some critics asserted that Ms. Clinton was lying about her encounter of sniper fire. Please don’t make inferences about my leanings one way or another regarding Ms. Clinton’s candidacy, but let me propose that Ms. Clinton was not lying. Instead her mistaken report about the Bosnia arrival was due to several weaknesses of human memory.
First, liars have to have an excellent memory. If Ms. Clinton were a liar, she would have caught herself before she incorrectly recalled her Bosnia arrival story. Many of us (not necessarily you or me) are inclined to embellish on a story. However, if you or I were running for President, we would take care to not misspeak (and certainly not lie) about our past experiences because we want to avoid the pickle that Ms. Clinton got herself in.
Second, Ms. Clinton’s memory failure appears to have been a blended memory. This is a kind of memory we all have sometime, In Ms. Clinton’s case, her memory appears to have been a blend of imaginations of a feared dangerous arrival and the real arrival. No doubt, highly visible people in politics worry occasionally about encountering dangerous situations. Consequently. it is plausible that she failed to distinguish between a real memory and an imagined one about what danger might have happened during her arrival.
If you still are inclined to believe that Ms. Clinton was lying when she spoke about her Bosnia experience, recall that such disputes about past events is common between significant others, family and friends.
For example, a voice emerges from the dining room. “Jack, it was not like that. How could you say that.” “Well Sally, you are the one who has it wrong. You never remember these things right.” And on it goes. Who can claim that their memory is totally above ever making such a mistake.
Around the same time that Ms. Clinton was coping with the dispute about her memory for the Bosnia event, other critics were claiming that Barack Obama had not been telling the truth when he said that he had not heard anti-American statements made by his pastor in one or more sermons. Some critics claimed that it was impossible for Mr. Obama to regularly attend church and not remember offensive comments of his pastor. Please don’t make inferences about my leanings, one way or another, regarding Mr. Obama’s candidacy, but let me propose that Mr. Obama was not lying. Instead, his failure to remember his pastor’s sermons was due to several weaknesses of human memory.
First, people in general have difficulty in noticing, much less remembering, comments that are contrary to their views. You and I usually do not register each and every comment that differs from our own viewpoint. Alternatively, we tend to remember the comments that support how we view things.
Second, we tend to remember primarily the comments of honored figures that are consistent with their reputation. It stands to reason that Mr. Obama may not have paid attention to comments of his minister that were contrary to what Mr. Obama believes what his pastor would be expected to say. Everyone has an significant other, a family member, friend, or role model who sometimes says outlandish things. When the comments of a respected person are outlandish, we tend to ignore them - which is why we do not remember them.
Third, remembering the sermons of anyone’s pastor, priest, or rabbi is extremely difficult because the experience each week has a lot in common with that of other weeks. We humans remember well unique events that occur in different locations at different times in the presence of different people - but not events that occur in the same seat, pew, or prayer position week after week. Who can remember each and every visit to the dentist or each and every visit to the local ice cream shop.
Now lets turn to the memory and honesty of super delegates. Some of them have recently switched from being in favor of one candidate to favoring the other candidate. When they do so, have they forgotten their previous allegiance to the other candidate (or forgotten what the previous candidate did for the super delegate in the past)? Clearly the switch in candidates is not an aberration of memory. Instead, what has happened is that the supper delegate has evaluated the recent statements of each candidate and has decided to change his or her mind. We tend to remember events and information that gives us some peace, that achieves a balance between the positive and negative.
In conclusion, instead of attacking candidates or super delegates for supposedly lying about what they remember or forget, lets focus on the issues and vote accordingly.

April 30, 2008 07:06 pm

More entries >>>

The advantages and disadvantages of memorists

Every family has one. Every group of friends has one, too: a person who tends to remember almost everything that is going on. This person knows all about upcoming events (concerts, lectures), what is at the movies, and what’s on TV. Sometimes, this person even knows what is going on among family members, friends and acquaintances. Accurate gossip is a valuable commodity.
In the past century, a person with a great memory was called an mnemonist. However, we know now that an mnemonist really is not the right term for all people with an exceptional memory. A mnemonist is someone who is good at memorizing. The person who tends to remember everything going on is called, instead, a memorist. This person remembers without trying to memorize. Sort of how a fly sticks to fly paper, information about what is happening sticks to the memory of the memorist.
This column describes, first, different aspects of the special powers of a memorist. from a technical perspective. Second, we will consider how memorists can be useful to themselves and others. Third, we examine some disadvantages of being a memorist.
Special Powers of a Memorist
Many experts have tested the memory powers of a memorist. When memorists have their memory tested, they will remember more than most people. For example, if this person is presented with a list to recall (say 30 unrelated words), he or she will remember more than 20 words while most other people will feel they have done well with recalling 15 words.
If a memorist is given a digit span test (when a series of numbers, say a dozen, are said aloud by the test giver), he or she will recall as many as 10 or more digits. Most people with normal memory powers will recall around 7 numbers correctly. Testers may give a memorist a fluency test (in which this person is asked to recall as many items in a category in a short amount of time). For example, this person may be asked to recall as many animals as possible in a minute. When given this test, most people recall 10 or fewer animals. When a memorist is given this test, he or she is recalls more or much more that 10 animals.
In contrast, when mnemonists are given memory tasks, they may do as well or even better than a memorist. However, mnemonists do these tasks differently than a memorist. As we considered in a previous column, mnemonists use well-practiced strategies when they perform a memory task. For example, to learn a list, they organize the words in their mind. When they learn a list of digits, they mentally convert the numbers presented into meaningful combinations. Suppose that a person is presented with the numbers 2961. The mnemonist may remember these numbers by converting them into years (1962) or into mathematical relationships (such as 21, 9 and 6, all of which numbers are multiples of 3). When recalling examples of a category, mnemonists try to recall examples of subcategories. For example, instead of recalling whatever animals that come to mind, the mnemonist will recall farm animals, then jungle animals, then pets and so on.
A memorist does not use the memory strategies of an mnemonist. Nevertheless, he or she recalls more than most people. A memorist recalls something without use of strategies. They have an exceptional memory either because they are born that way or because they have had a lot of practice at memory tasks earlier in life. Mnemonists became good at memory tasks but only through making an effort to use strategies whenever they attempt such tasks.
The Usefulness of a Memorist
If you truly do have a memorist in your family or circle of friends, then you are very fortunate. With a memorist near by, there is no need to check the TV guide, newspaper or inquire with a friend about what is happening to others you know. If you recognize that someone in your family or circle of friends has the potential to be a memorist, encourage this person to become better and better at remembering. Each time he or she remembers some upcoming event, then reward this person. If you can nurture and train someone to be a memorist, then in the future you will not have to remember very much yourself. In other words, make a memorist your friend today.
Disadvantages of Being a Memorist
The memory powers of a memorist are not always a blessing. There are certain things that a memorist is likely to know and to not know. For example, memorists are usually skilled at remembering certain topics, such as facts about a sport such as baseball. However, just because the memorist knows the names of baseball stats backwards and forwards, does not mean that this person knows the names of the stars of other sports such as basketball, soccer, or rugby.
Although it may seem that it would be great to be a memorist, sometimes it can have its drawbacks. Instead of recognizing that a memorist is a valuable resource of information, some deviants exploit memorists by making this person the target of devilment. For example, some people try to catch memorists not knowing something. “You don’t know the name of Andrew Jackson’s vice president? Your memory is not so good after all.” Consequently, if you know you are a memorist, you would be wise to hide it from those who might enjoy annoying you. Also, just in case you are wondering, there is no need to pursue such devilment with me. I am neither a memorist nor an mnemonist.

April 09, 2008 08:34 pm

More entries >>>

Drake sweeps ISU softball Friday, but Saturday's game called off

Home at last, but not home-free by any means.
Indiana State’s softball team played 19 games before ever stepping foot on the Price Field diamond Friday for a doubleheader against Drake. The homecoming wasn’t a happy one — Drake swept ISU with 5-1 and 6-2 victories — but the long-term concern is on the mound, where star pitcher Darcy Wood is battling a shoulder injury.
ISU's single game schedule for Saturday was canceled due to a Missouri Valley Conference wind-chill rule.
Wood suffered the injury a few weeks ago, but has battled through the pain to post a 4-1 record, 2.87 ERA and 41 strikeouts going into Thursday’s contests. It was evident during Friday’s game, however, that Wood isn’t 100 percent and it concerns coach Brenda Coldren.
Wood pitched the first game against the Bulldogs and didn’t pitch poorly. She struck out eight Bulldogs.
But Drake was also able to take advantage of some pitches that might not have had the mustard on them they might have otherwise, and on a day when the wind was blowing straight out at a 20-mile-per-hour clip, that wasn’t a good thing for the Sycamores.
“Darcy’s not up to 100 percent and that makes a big difference. Some of the balls she’s throwing have some movement, but it was a typical day for her in terms of making it move and the speed of the pitch,” ISU coach Brenda Coldren said.
“It’s frustrating for her, because she’s used to being a different pitcher. She still struck out eight, but she’s not 100 percent.”
Drake took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Kristen Faidley single to left. It remained that way for five innings, as the Sycamores could muster little against Drake starting pitcher Brynne Dordel. ISU had just two hits in the game, none in the first four innings.
“We had problems adjusting. Their pitcher was a lot slower, and we’re usually aggressive, so we swung at a lot of bad pitches,” ISU second baseman Katie Iocoangeli said. “It was a good lesson for us going into [today’s] game.”
ISU had four errors in the game, and another costly one occurred in the sixth inning, when Drake’s Elena Leon reached on a fielder’s choice and error by Christina Meyers. Two batters later, Drake’s Jenna DeLong pulled a two-run home run to left to make it 3-0.
ISU answered in its half of the sixth on a RBI double by Britt Boyer, but the wind conspired to blow ISU down in the seventh. With a runner on, Faidley hit what would have been a medium-deep pop-out on a normal day, but the gale caught hold of it, and it just barely cleared the center field fence for a two-run homer.
The errors that ISU committed in the first game came home to roost again in the second. Drake took a 5-0 lead in the second inning and ultimately chased ISU starter Megan McCurdy, but mistakes in the field ignited the rally.
Leon scored from first on a dropped third strike after Drake’s Erin Mollohan whiffed. ISU catcher Audrey Childress tried to throw Mollohan out at first, but her throw struck the back of Mollohan’s helmet and the ball ricocheted into the outfield.
After Susan Slycord knocked in another Drake run with a double, another ISU error by McCurdy on a fielder’s choice allowed Drake to score another run. A two-run double by Kristin Birocci capped Drake’s scoring and McCurdy was replaced by Katie Armour.
“For as many people on our team that we have returning, we’re still young. We had a sophomore catcher make a bad decision on where to throw it, instead of getting herself in a good position, and we had a sophomore pitcher who made the right decision, but made a bad throw,” Coldren said. “We just weren’t sharp today.”
ISU scored in its half of the second when Kelsey Anderson scored on an error by Drake’s Bridget Shields and got another run in the seventh on a RBI single by Meredith Simpson, but Drake’s five-run second inning was too much to overcome.
Boyer and Leslie Fakes were the only Sycamores to get base hits in both games.
ISU (8-13, 1-3) finishes its series with Drake (12-12, 3-2) at noon today at Price Field.

March 22, 2008 04:22 pm

More entries >>>