Lesson 21 Pointers on Perception

I wish to call your attention to a number of "pointers" (to use the very expressive American term) regarding the principle of perception. These little aphorisms of memory training are based upon well-established principles of psychology, and the student who has carefully studied the preceding chapters will have no trouble in understanding the scientific reason underlying each of them. I have added a little explanatory note to each pointer, which may serve to throw additional light upon it.

POINTER I. The facility of recollection depends upon the degree of clearness and strength of the impression.

The student should remember this very important fact of memory, for it lies at the very foundation of the subject. The impression upon the memory is akin to the impression upon the phonographic record, or upon the photographic film. A faint impression can never bring forth a reproduction stronger than itself. A blurred impression will result in a blurred recollection. Impressions are the raw material from which recollections are manufactured. It has been said that one "cannot make a silk-purse from a sow's ear," nor can a thistle bear plums. Like produces like. To be able to recall anything clearly, easily, and correctly, there must first exist an impression capable of such efficient reproduction.

POINTER II. The depth and clearness of an impression on the memory is in direct proportion to the interest-attention, and attention-interest bestowed upon the subject or object producing the impression.

The principle underlying this pointer has been fully explained in the preceding lessons of this course. There is no impression without attention; and attention depends materially upon interest in, and a liking for, the subject or object producing the impression. I have repeatedly told you to cultivate interest in the things which you wish to understand, know, and remember. Interest may be stimulated by concentrated attention. Also by habit. Also, in a secondary way, by attaching the thought and idea of the uninteresting thing to some pleasant and agreeable thing which will result from the mastery or performance of it. One may grow to take an interest in dull, dry work, by connecting it in mind with the pleasant things which will result from it. Interest may be kept up by frequent thoughts of the financial reward to accrue from the work, or similar gain of pleasant things. Connect the un-liked thing, in mind, with likable and liked things, and thus gain this secondary interest.

POINTER III. Build a strong primary foundation impression of a thing to be remembered, for subsequent impressions must be built upon and around it.

All good teachers of memory agree upon the idea that it is of prime importance to fix in the memory a good, strong, clear primary impression. This primary impression must serve as a foundation upon which the structure of subsequent impressions must be built. When you remember a thing, you really remember a series of impressions about it, as a rule. The primary impression has been added to from time to time. Be careful of your foundation work. Let it be strong and firm, and well sunk into the substance of your memory. A weak foundation may wreck a promising structure, in time. Try to build a good strong, broad structure of an idea in the memory, for it may be needed to support quite a large superstructure of added details, facts, and associations.

POINTER IV. Let your primary impression consist of main facts, points, principles, form, characteristics, etc., avoiding too many unimportant details, for the moment.

If you wish to build a house you place great large stones in the foundation work. In the same way, in taking impressions for the purpose of knowledge, study, or memorizing—the three really are one, however—you should select the "big facts" for your primary work. Or, to change the figure of speech, you should draw in memory the broad, wide outlines of the thing, into which you can fill the little details in subsequent impressions.

In committing to memory the picture of a house, begin with its general outline and appearance, and then fill in the details of the picture. If you wish to memorize a tree, you should first see it as a whole, then study its trunk, then its branches, then its twigs, leaves, etc., in natural order. If you wish to remember a certain family, you think of them first as a whole, and then of the individuals composing it. If you wish to study a new subject, do not seek the most technical and detailed work on the subject—these are intended for advanced students—but begin by reading some elementary, "general" work on the subject—a good encyclopaedia will give you this kind of start—and then work up to the details and fine points. But, be sure to have your general, "big" picture, as clear, strong and distinct as possible, in accordance with the rule of primary impressions previously stated.

POINTER V. Classify your impressions of details into divisions, sub-divisions, and still smaller ones—make your whole impression consist of classified parts; your unity composed of units.

This pointer is in accordance with an important psychological law, which is true of all planes of thought activity, including memory. Knowledge properly classified is available knowledge. An idea of memory, properly classified as to the details composing it, becomes available, and is easily handled by the mechanism of recollection. This results in a very clear composite memory image—and most of our mental images are composite, being made up of many parts and details. Without classification of this kind, the mental image of a thing is more or less blurred and cannot be recalled properly for use and efficient service. Remember this important law of the mind, for it is as true of the smallest thing as of the largest.

POINTER VI. Original impressions may be intensified by frequent revival in consciousness.

This pointer brings to our attention a very interesting law of memory. This law so operates that when you revive, or recall in consciousness, a previously acquired original impression; or an original impression subsequently added to, which really forms a group impression; you actually intensify it, causing it to become deeper, and stronger, and therefore much easier of recollection. This principle forms the basis of some of the most important rules and systems of memory training. It is by an observance of this principle that we have memorized the alphabet, the multiplication table, and many other familiar features of our early education. It is the principle underlying the frequent "review" work of all educational systems. A little thought will show you that the majority of things that you have really learned perfectly, you have acquired in obedience to this great law of the mind. The great feats of memorizing, which astound the public, are the result of the application of this principle. By it were committed to memory the contents of great books, as mentioned in the earlier lessons of this course.

A familiar application of this principle is the well-known illustration of remembering the features of a new acquaintance. It is a fact, that even if you spend an hour with him at the first interview, you may fail to recognize him the next ...

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... memory image or impression. An illustration of the principle stated in the pointer before us, is that of two boys learning the multiplication table. The first boy refers to the printed tables, whenever he wishes to know how much is "seven times eight," or "five times six." The second boy reviews his memorized work, and, whenever he wishes to know the product of 7x8 or 5x6 he recalls the memorized rule and applies its principles in practice. Or, again, consider the difference between the two persons wishing to spell correctly; the first refers to the dictionary without any effort to draw on his memory—the second uses his memory, and refers to the book only when actually "stuck." Which class of boys will acquire the best memory for the work of multiplication of figures, or spelling of words? Which will have the best memory impressions on these subjects? Can you doubt the answer?

The best way to intensify the impressions in memory, and to acquire a clear, strong, full idea of the remembered thing, is (1) to revive the impression in consciousness, thus by the act of recollection recalling all possible regarding it that was observed—and noting the same on paper (the use of the pencil greatly facilitates the recalling process); then (2) refer to the object itself, comparing your recalled list with the thing, and seeing what you have omitted—also adding new impressions to the old one, as the result of the new examination. This plan will not only strengthen the original impression, but also will add to the clearness and strength of the new ones, according to the rule of association, which tells us that it is of advantage to add the impression of a new thing to the previously acquired and remembered impressions of the old thing. Remember the idea embodied in the old school-room adage; "An unrecited lesson is soon forgotten," the recital is review work, intensifying the original impression.

POINTER VIII. In impressing a new thing on the memory, endeavor to link and associate it with as many old impressions as possible, for each link of association is one more "loose end" by means of which you may recall it

This is another form of the application of the principle of Classification. We shall consider it in detail when we take up the Principle of Association. It is well to cultivate the habit of quick preliminary classification, which may be followed by careful association when the subject is reviewed in consciousness.

POINTER IX. Impress an object, or subject, upon the memory by as many channels of perception as possible. If you are weak in any particular form of perception, rivet the impression received through this weak channel by means of another impression of the same thing received through a channel of a stronger form of perception—clinch the weaker by using the stronger in connection with it.

This pointer is based upon a good psychological principle. Experience proves that, in many cases, the impression is greatly intensified if composed of perceptive reports arriving through different sense channels. For instance, the majority of persons find it easier to remember names, numbers, etc., if they also are able to read them at the time they hear them spoken. Many persons have a habit of writing down names, numbers, etc., which they wish to memorize, after having heard them spoken—the written memorandum then being destroyed. There are three senses involved in such impressions, viz, (1) the sense of hearing; (2) the sense of sight; and (3) the sense of muscular motion which is a form of touch-sensation. The first two are more familiar to you than the third; in fact many overlook this third form of perception. But the memory is often very keen to receive and recall the impression of a muscular motion once performed—in fact, we could not write, walk, skate, use the needle, knife and fork, or the typewriter, did not the memory act in this way. We learn to perform motions of this kind by the use of subconscious memory, after the first attempt to perform the motion. You will find this tri-sense form of perception to be a great aid to you in memorizing names and figures—sound, sight, and touch are called into action in the impression.

In the same way, it is found to be an advantage to visualize the thing, the name of which you wish to remember. If you are asked to memorize a list of different articles, such as desk, chair, inkstand, etc., you will receive a stronger memory impression if you will make a mental picture of the article as it is named, as well as receiving an impression of its name. If the object is in sight, look at it while you repeat its name, and you will register a double impression.

As the pointer states, this principle is also available in cases in which a weak form of perception is strengthened by an impression from a stronger perceptive faculty. For instance, if your eye-perception is weak, and you are required to memorize a printed word or sentence, you may clinch the impression by reading the word or words aloud, or by having them read aloud to you by another. Reversing the process, you should write down spoken words, if your ear-perception is weak. Even the sense of smell and taste may be used in this way, in special cases. One might fail to remember the name of Fromage de Brie (Brie Cheese), from mere sight or sound of the name. He would be very much more likely to recall the name if he were given the opportunity to receive impressions from the sense of smell at the same time. No one who has ever experienced the taste of Quassia [bitterwood plant] is ever likely to fail to recall its name when thinking of it—its name is impressed in connection with its bitter taste.

Nearly every school teacher knows of cases in his or her own experience, in which a scholar was able to spell or to perform problems in mental arithmetic correctly, by reason of being able to visualize the printed word, or previously worked out problem, by eye-memory, where the ear-memory, and memory of mental calculation were weak. I once had a pupil, who was also a medical student, who was preparing for his examination. His memory for names was rather weak but his eye-memory was very strong. I fixed in his mind the names of the principal muscles of the body, and the bones of the human skeleton, by causing him to mark the names in bold black letters on his chart, and then making a clear, strong mental image or visualization of the charts so prepared. When his examination day arrived, he simply called up his visualized mental picture, with every muscle and bone bearing its proper label, and lo! he was practically letter perfect in those particular branches. I had arranged tables of certain other subjects for him, by a simple though complete form of classification, and the result in this direction was also very satisfactory, for he was able to visualize my charts, and get his answer from them. I may add that this man afterward became a very proficient young surgeon, his extraordinary eye-perception and eye-memory causing him to detect and remember physical details which escaped the sight and memory of others.

POINTER X. In impressing a thing upon the memory, by means of associations, endeavor to make the association with as many things you "like" as possible. Place it in a "pleasant" class of associated things, for by so doing you will find it easier of recollection. If you are fond of religious subjects, see if you cannot tie your perception of the thing to something of a religious nature. If you are fond of the dance, or theatre, make the association accordingly. In this way you can make an uninteresting thing take on an unsuspected interest, by reason of the association. Consider this in connection with Pointer II.

POINTER XI. Endeavor to impress the name of a thing upon your memory, as well as its characteristics. The naming of a thing is a positive act of the mind—a distinct step in forming a concept—and it will serve to rivet the general impression of the thing itself. Realize how difficult it would be for you to even "think" of certain things without naming them in your mind—the same principle holds good in memorizing impressions. A name is the crystallized concept of a thing—the memory of a thing is frequently, and usually, found to be crystallized in the memory of the thing under its name-impression as a centre, its characteristics being grouped around it. Therefore impress the name of a thing upon your mind, if you would remember the thing itself. If it has no name known to you, coin a name for it. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"—and will be remembered as well.

 

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