IMPROVING YOUR MEMORY

STUDY SKILLS

Memory can be improved by principles of efficient learning , particularly when the learning is motivated and pays careful attention to the task at hand. Some of the principles to improve your memory are as follows :

Attending and perceiving

     We fail to remember names, because we were not in an attentive attitude when they were spoken. Much of what we learn incidentally is poorly retained, because the impression was weak. You may be unable to recall even the most general features of trees and shrubs nearby, but a Botanist , because of his interest and past learning may recall many details after single visit. Lack of attention and failure to perceive a situation clearly are the important factors in inability to recall.

Motivation

    Intentional learning, in which there is motivation to accomplished the task, yields significantly better memory than incidental learning. There is substantial evidence, from many experiments, that motivation influences both storage and retrieval in memory.

Over Learning

       Learning a task beyond the point at which it has just been mastered is said to involve 'Over learning'. The person who learns a task can perform it easily, and it is more resistant to forgetting. Students who do well on examination are those who are sufficiently motivated to practice even after they have reached a level of performance that can be considered as satisfactory.

The Zeigarnik effect

      The tendency to recall unfinished tasks better than completed tasks is called Zeigarnik effect. The explanation offered for this phenomenon is that a 'Tension system' builds up within the individual until the task is finished.

Condition of Learning

       Reciting a task, knowledge about one's performance while performing a task, learning the task as a whole, or part by part depending upon the nature and length of the task are the conditions of learning helpful in improving retention.

 Reminiscence 

       A person's performance on a task improves even after an interval in which there has been no practice. This phenomenon is called reminiscence. The most common explanation suggested is incorrect associations are forgotten faster than correct associations during a rest period. A learner may be able to take advantage of this phenomenon by using appropriate  spaced periods.

            To sum up, motivation to accomplish a task, overlearning, recitation, knowledge of results and appropriate rest periods between the trials improves one's memory. Lack of attention and failure to perceive a situation clearly are the factors in inability to recall.