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Your Memory How It Works and How to Improve It Kenneth L Higbee PhD 8601200626582 Books

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Your Memory How It Works and How to Improve It Kenneth L Higbee PhD 8601200626582 Books

There are certain books that have contributed so significantly to my life that I consider them "revolutionary" (at least to me). This is one of those books. If you're a lover of learning or personal growth I just can't imagine not devouring the goldmine of information in this book. Of course, opinions vary, as some reviews of this book indicate. Some say its "too technical" with "unpractical filler" while some others say that its "not overly informative." To each their own I suppose but I'm going to tell you why I think this book is one of the best ever written on the subject and why mnemonics are incredibly powerful tools for assimilating, retaining, and recalling knowledge in any subject area...

Although virtually everybody has used some type of mnemonics in rudimentary form since kindergarten you'd think more people would stop and ask themselves why they're so prevalent in our early years, and also why we don't use them more, and why we stopped (mostly) as we grew older. To cut to the chase, here's the bottom line in a nutshell: Mnemonics can dramatically increase the ease, speed, and amount of knowledge you're able to acquire and retain. In short, you'll get more faster and retain more longer, and far easier too. In other words, with practice your ability to learn nearly anything will exponentially improve.

So what exactly are mnemonics? I'll quote: "The word 'mnemonic'...is derived from Mnemosyne, the name of the ancient Greek goddess of memory...Mnemonics refers in general to methods for improving memory; a mnemonic technique is any technique that aids the memory."

Although its very important to note that mnemonics aren't some magical wand or sideshow trickery, rather, they are applied psychology. "Mnemonic systems do not replace the basic principles of learning but use them. They are merely specialized elaborations of normal memory activities...they are based on well established principles of learning." Memory is not a thing; it's a process. No matter how it is done, remembering is work, and memory aids are not necessarily supposed to make it easy, just more effective. Learning to use mnemonics is a skill that requires practice just like acquiring any other skill." So if you're not willing extend the effort to actually become proficient mnemonics you'll be wasting your time for the most part.

As a personal example, from the moment I first read this book I was fascinated but skeptical. Yeah sure ok so I could remember my grocery lists a lot easier but I wanted some real proof, so after considering some memory "goals" I settled on one that I considered a pretty impressive memory feat (at least for those of us not aspiring to win a memory sport competition): to memorize the entire periodic table of elements. And not just the elements, but also all the information associated with them in the table such as period/group, atomic wt, atomic number, symbol, electron configuration, state (solid, liquid, gas, unknown), reactivity characteristics (alkali metals, halogens, etc.). I chose the periodic table because it contains a lot of fairly abstract information that most of us happily dismiss after we're forced to endure referring to it in high school or college. Mind you, I hadn't taken a chemistry course since college (about fifteen years prior to my reading the book) and am not a professional chemist. To my own amazement I was able to do it, and to this day I can still recall 95% of it. It may take me 5-10 seconds to answer a given question but I can still do it. As a "B" chemistry student twenty years ago as well as a non-chemist, I feel this stands as a pretty convincing testament to mnemonic techniques. Granted, I understand that memorizing the periodic table of elements may not be your cup of tea (and frankly, I chose it precisely because it was dense and so far outside my day-to-day needs) but I did it only to prove to myself this stuff actually works, and I've since applied these techniques every single day in virtually all manner of things that are very much within my day-to-day needs, to great effect. As Higbee says, "...whether or not people want to do such feats, the important point is that they can do them; and that means they can also do other things with their memories that they DO want to do..."

But beyond anecdotes, a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of mnemonics exists. I think this may be what some reviews have missed about why Higbee goes into such background detail on why mnemonics work and what evidence supports it. I'll spare you all the blow by blow of that evidence and refer you to the book, but the point is yes there are evidence-based reasons how and why mnemonics work, as well as evidence proving they do indeed work. Some of us really need/appreciate the logic underpinning the techniques as well as the proof that we're not wasting our time. Higbee very clearly and methodically builds that case before jumping into the "doing" of the techniques themselves.

Briefly, mnemonics work so well because they leverage the inherent ways our brains actually function to our advantage. They're like aikido for the brain. They associate something to be learned with something already known. The reason(s) mnemonics work involve the hard wiring of how our minds work, but for a quick analogy, say you have a flat tire on a car. Would you rather try to lift a car with your back, or use a hydraulic jack instead? Or, would you rather hammer a nail with your shoe or a hammer? Well, mnemonics are the jack and hammer. Is it "cheating" to use the jack? Is it circus-style trickery to use the hammer? Nope...it's simply using a tool to more effectively perform a given task.

Mnemonics aren't some "trick"; they are simply methods, or tools, for acquiring/remembering information that would prove either inefficient or impossible otherwise. They do this by first acting as a "conceptual glue" that holds disparate pieces of information (especially new information) together. They function on this level as a means of corralling the information and holding it in queue. Secondly, they help simplify the information, thereby off-loading the mental burden which then frees the mind up to focus on connecting those pieces of information together to actually understand and apply them. Finally, mnemonics then provide structure and organization to the information (especially on material that is otherwise not very meaningful or organized), and because higher order tasks such as problem solving, analysis, and critical thinking depend on the cohesiveness and order of the underlying knowledge base, mnemonics increase the effectiveness of those tasks. So, both in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, mnemonics improve learning and our ability to manipulate and apply knowledge.

The primary criticism of mnemonics by some in academia goes something like this: "'Mere memorization' is a low-level mental skill (as opposed to higher order skills such as critical thinking, reasoning, analysis, etc.); therefore, methods of improving acquisition and recall of information (i.e. memory, memorization, or mnemonics) are low-level mental skills with a low level of importance." Not only is this attitude usually presented with a sort of arrogant and condescending demeanor, it flies in the face of history, experience, and evidence. "Critics rarely make it explicit that the alternatives to mnemonics are either dumb blind repetition or simply outright failure, and no one seems to want to champion these alternatives." Further, and most disturbingly, this flippant dismissal of mnemonic techniques by some belies a fundamental misunderstanding of how human beings learn. Learning occurs in steps or stages...in other words, it's a process...with acquisition necessarily coming first, then things like problem solving and reasoning later. An analogy between mnemonics and Maslow's hierarchy of needs serves as a good illustration. Without food, water, and sex (sex, as in, for the perpetuation of genes to successive generations) none of the other emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual needs can be met. In other words, survival first, then we worry about self-actualization. After all, its hard to strive for your fulfillment as a self-actualized individual if you never existed (or didn't survive) in the first place, right? Similarly, of course high order reasoning and analysis are our goals, but "more sophisticated mental operations...are impossible without rapid and accurate recall of bodies of specific information." In other words, acquisition and retention of knowledge not only facilitate higher order mental operations, they are prerequisite. Thus, loftier goals are in addition to, not instead or, the acquisition/recall.

By the way, for those interested, the book has a fantastic reference section so I'll refer you there mostly, but I would like to give honorable mention to The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play, also a great book on the subject. Although I personally prefer Higbee as it's much more complete (at least in terms of a reference, background, etc.) Lorayne's book has all the practical nuts and bolts of the techniques written in a more simple conversational style. Plus, there are a few techniques that appear in one that doesn't appear in the other, for example, Lorayne's "memory grid" which I've found really helpful and have used quite a bit.

Okay, so that was a little long-winded but the book deserves all the praise I can give it. If I'm honest I would actually give the book 4.5 stars, only because if you're REALLY wanting to take mnemonics to absurd levels and/or compete in memory sports, some of the most advanced techniques such as the PAO system aren't covered. Still, it's a great place to start. After reading this book you will have a strong understanding of how and why of mnemonics work, as well as the tools necessary to apply them to a wide variety of contexts. These techniques have added a great deal of value to my everyday life. I can't really provide a higher compliment than that.


Tags : Your Memory : How It Works and How to Improve It [Kenneth L. Higbee Ph.D.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>Do you want to stop forgetting appointments, birthdays, and other important dates? Work more efficiently at your job? Study less and get better grades? Remember the names and faces of people you meet? The good news is that it's all possible. Your Memory will help to expand your memory abilities beyond what you thought possible. Dr. Higbee reveals how simple techniques,Kenneth L. Higbee Ph.D.,Your Memory : How It Works and How to Improve It,Da Capo Lifelong Books,1569246297,Neuropsychology,Memory,Memory.,Mnemonics,Mnemonics.,Memory improvement & thinking techniques,Personal Growth - Memory Improvement,Physiological & neuro-psychology,Psychology,Psychology Neuropsychology,SELF-HELP General,SELF-HELP Personal Growth Memory Improvement,Self-Help

Your Memory How It Works and How to Improve It Kenneth L Higbee PhD 8601200626582 Books Reviews

Book provides a lot of information about different memory mnemonics used for increasing memory. The writer introduces the mnemonic, tells about its development and its use; and then tells about results people have achieved using the mnemonic. I liked the background information and the explanation of the mnemonic. I would have liked to have seen practical examples and guided use of the various mnemonics. I think Ron White in his "Memory Improvement How to Improve Your Memory in Just 30 Days" does a much better job guiding the reader through the use of the various mnemonics. However, Kenneth Higbee does a great job providing the background.
I read this book early when I first started undergraduate. It was interesting and I found lots of fun tricks to memorize things. However, i only saw them as tricks, and didn't really think much to apply them to my studies. I didn't really find them necessary.

Ever since I entered medical school, I've become more and more conscious at my inefficient attempts to memorize material. Subconsciously I've been applying nearly all the memorization tricks, minus the pegging and loci system, to my studies and have been getting mediocre results. After an average semester, I decided to give this book a 'review' which reinforced many concepts that I had been halfway applying. Next semester I intend on consciously framing my study plan around the major principles (remembering, retaining, recalling) - and deliberately applying mnemonics and the sq3R (survey, question, read, recite, review) system to enhance my performance. I would recommend this to those who are looking to improve their grades or score in the top percentiles in the biomedical sciences.
I purchased this book to help me study more effectively for my CPA exams. Overall I found this book to be very helpful, and I highly recommend it. I liked this book because it introduced me to some tools I had not heard of before, or had not thought to incorporate in my studying. Specifically, for me learning about the SQ3R method, and the Peg method were most helpful. I will say that the title of this book is very accurate in each chapter the author takes time to discuss scientifically how the brain works, and then shares a specific tool to help you improve your memory. As I bought this to improve my memory I found myself skipping the scientific parts in order to get to the tips and tools. I will also say that I imagine most readers won't need every technique the author includes, and will find themselves skipping over parts of this book to get to the specific tools (i.e. you may find it easy to memorize passages of poetry or verses of scripture, but find it hard to remember names). That is fine as the book can be read cover to cover, or used as a reference tool. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for tools to improve their memory and their study habits.
There are certain books that have contributed so significantly to my life that I consider them "revolutionary" (at least to me). This is one of those books. If you're a lover of learning or personal growth I just can't imagine not devouring the goldmine of information in this book. Of course, opinions vary, as some reviews of this book indicate. Some say its "too technical" with "unpractical filler" while some others say that its "not overly informative." To each their own I suppose but I'm going to tell you why I think this book is one of the best ever written on the subject and why mnemonics are incredibly powerful tools for assimilating, retaining, and recalling knowledge in any subject area...

Although virtually everybody has used some type of mnemonics in rudimentary form since kindergarten you'd think more people would stop and ask themselves why they're so prevalent in our early years, and also why we don't use them more, and why we stopped (mostly) as we grew older. To cut to the chase, here's the bottom line in a nutshell Mnemonics can dramatically increase the ease, speed, and amount of knowledge you're able to acquire and retain. In short, you'll get more faster and retain more longer, and far easier too. In other words, with practice your ability to learn nearly anything will exponentially improve.

So what exactly are mnemonics? I'll quote "The word 'mnemonic'...is derived from Mnemosyne, the name of the ancient Greek goddess of memory...Mnemonics refers in general to methods for improving memory; a mnemonic technique is any technique that aids the memory."

Although its very important to note that mnemonics aren't some magical wand or sideshow trickery, rather, they are applied psychology. "Mnemonic systems do not replace the basic principles of learning but use them. They are merely specialized elaborations of normal memory activities...they are based on well established principles of learning." Memory is not a thing; it's a process. No matter how it is done, remembering is work, and memory aids are not necessarily supposed to make it easy, just more effective. Learning to use mnemonics is a skill that requires practice just like acquiring any other skill." So if you're not willing extend the effort to actually become proficient mnemonics you'll be wasting your time for the most part.

As a personal example, from the moment I first read this book I was fascinated but skeptical. Yeah sure ok so I could remember my grocery lists a lot easier but I wanted some real proof, so after considering some memory "goals" I settled on one that I considered a pretty impressive memory feat (at least for those of us not aspiring to win a memory sport competition) to memorize the entire periodic table of elements. And not just the elements, but also all the information associated with them in the table such as period/group, atomic wt, atomic number, symbol, electron configuration, state (solid, liquid, gas, unknown), reactivity characteristics (alkali metals, halogens, etc.). I chose the periodic table because it contains a lot of fairly abstract information that most of us happily dismiss after we're forced to endure referring to it in high school or college. Mind you, I hadn't taken a chemistry course since college (about fifteen years prior to my reading the book) and am not a professional chemist. To my own amazement I was able to do it, and to this day I can still recall 95% of it. It may take me 5-10 seconds to answer a given question but I can still do it. As a "B" chemistry student twenty years ago as well as a non-chemist, I feel this stands as a pretty convincing testament to mnemonic techniques. Granted, I understand that memorizing the periodic table of elements may not be your cup of tea (and frankly, I chose it precisely because it was dense and so far outside my day-to-day needs) but I did it only to prove to myself this stuff actually works, and I've since applied these techniques every single day in virtually all manner of things that are very much within my day-to-day needs, to great effect. As Higbee says, "...whether or not people want to do such feats, the important point is that they can do them; and that means they can also do other things with their memories that they DO want to do..."

But beyond anecdotes, a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of mnemonics exists. I think this may be what some reviews have missed about why Higbee goes into such background detail on why mnemonics work and what evidence supports it. I'll spare you all the blow by blow of that evidence and refer you to the book, but the point is yes there are evidence-based reasons how and why mnemonics work, as well as evidence proving they do indeed work. Some of us really need/appreciate the logic underpinning the techniques as well as the proof that we're not wasting our time. Higbee very clearly and methodically builds that case before jumping into the "doing" of the techniques themselves.

Briefly, mnemonics work so well because they leverage the inherent ways our brains actually function to our advantage. They're like aikido for the brain. They associate something to be learned with something already known. The reason(s) mnemonics work involve the hard wiring of how our minds work, but for a quick analogy, say you have a flat tire on a car. Would you rather try to lift a car with your back, or use a hydraulic jack instead? Or, would you rather hammer a nail with your shoe or a hammer? Well, mnemonics are the jack and hammer. Is it "cheating" to use the jack? Is it circus-style trickery to use the hammer? Nope...it's simply using a tool to more effectively perform a given task.

Mnemonics aren't some "trick"; they are simply methods, or tools, for acquiring/remembering information that would prove either inefficient or impossible otherwise. They do this by first acting as a "conceptual glue" that holds disparate pieces of information (especially new information) together. They function on this level as a means of corralling the information and holding it in queue. Secondly, they help simplify the information, thereby off-loading the mental burden which then frees the mind up to focus on connecting those pieces of information together to actually understand and apply them. Finally, mnemonics then provide structure and organization to the information (especially on material that is otherwise not very meaningful or organized), and because higher order tasks such as problem solving, analysis, and critical thinking depend on the cohesiveness and order of the underlying knowledge base, mnemonics increase the effectiveness of those tasks. So, both in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, mnemonics improve learning and our ability to manipulate and apply knowledge.

The primary criticism of mnemonics by some in academia goes something like this "'Mere memorization' is a low-level mental skill (as opposed to higher order skills such as critical thinking, reasoning, analysis, etc.); therefore, methods of improving acquisition and recall of information (i.e. memory, memorization, or mnemonics) are low-level mental skills with a low level of importance." Not only is this attitude usually presented with a sort of arrogant and condescending demeanor, it flies in the face of history, experience, and evidence. "Critics rarely make it explicit that the alternatives to mnemonics are either dumb blind repetition or simply outright failure, and no one seems to want to champion these alternatives." Further, and most disturbingly, this flippant dismissal of mnemonic techniques by some belies a fundamental misunderstanding of how human beings learn. Learning occurs in steps or stages...in other words, it's a process...with acquisition necessarily coming first, then things like problem solving and reasoning later. An analogy between mnemonics and Maslow's hierarchy of needs serves as a good illustration. Without food, water, and sex (sex, as in, for the perpetuation of genes to successive generations) none of the other emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual needs can be met. In other words, survival first, then we worry about self-actualization. After all, its hard to strive for your fulfillment as a self-actualized individual if you never existed (or didn't survive) in the first place, right? Similarly, of course high order reasoning and analysis are our goals, but "more sophisticated mental operations...are impossible without rapid and accurate recall of bodies of specific information." In other words, acquisition and retention of knowledge not only facilitate higher order mental operations, they are prerequisite. Thus, loftier goals are in addition to, not instead or, the acquisition/recall.

By the way, for those interested, the book has a fantastic reference section so I'll refer you there mostly, but I would like to give honorable mention to The Memory Book The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play, also a great book on the subject. Although I personally prefer Higbee as it's much more complete (at least in terms of a reference, background, etc.) Lorayne's book has all the practical nuts and bolts of the techniques written in a more simple conversational style. Plus, there are a few techniques that appear in one that doesn't appear in the other, for example, Lorayne's "memory grid" which I've found really helpful and have used quite a bit.

Okay, so that was a little long-winded but the book deserves all the praise I can give it. If I'm honest I would actually give the book 4.5 stars, only because if you're REALLY wanting to take mnemonics to absurd levels and/or compete in memory sports, some of the most advanced techniques such as the PAO system aren't covered. Still, it's a great place to start. After reading this book you will have a strong understanding of how and why of mnemonics work, as well as the tools necessary to apply them to a wide variety of contexts. These techniques have added a great deal of value to my everyday life. I can't really provide a higher compliment than that.