# How to Use Your Mind/First Aids to Memory—Impression

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CHAPTER VI FIRST AIDS TO MEMORY: IMPRESSION
Of all the mental operations employed by the student, memory is probably the one in which the greatest inefficiency is manifested. Though we often fail to realize it, much of our life is taken up with memorizing. Every time we make use of past experience, we rely upon this function of the mind, but in no occupation is it quite so practically important as in study. We shall begin our investigation of memory by dividing it into four phases or stages—Impression, Retention, Recall and Recognition. Any act of memory involves them all. There is first a stage when the material is being impressed; second, a stage when it is being retained so that it may be revived in the future; third, a stage of recall when the retained material is revived to meet present needs; fourth, a feeling of recognition, through ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/90 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/91 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/92 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/93 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/94 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/95 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/96 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/97 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/98 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/99 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/100 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/101 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/102 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/103 ​geneous. Then as you go about your other work you will find a number of occasions that will arouse ideas bearing upon this subject. You may read in a newspaper of a brilliant speech made before the Chamber of Commerce by a leading business man, which will serve as an illustration to support your affirmative position; or you may attend a banquet where a prominent business man disappoints his audience with a wretched speech. Such experiences, and many others, bearing more or less directly upon the subject, will come to you, and will call up the theme-subject, with which they will unite themselves. Write down these ideas as they occur, and you will find that when you start to compose the theme formally, it almost writes itself, requiring for the most part only expansion and arrangement of ideas. While thus organizing the theme you will reap even more benefits from your early start, for, as you are composing it, you will find new ideas crowding in upon you which you did not ​know you possessed, but which had been associating themselves in your mind with this topic even when you were unaware of the fact.
In writing themes, the principle of distribution of time may also be profitably employed. After you have once written a theme, lay it aside for a while—perhaps a week. Then when you take it up, read it in a detached manner and you will note many places where it may be improved. These benefits are to be enjoyed only when a theme is planned a long time ahead. Hence the rule to start as early as possible.
Before leaving the subject of theme-writing, which was called up by the discussion of unconscious memory, another suggestion will be given that may be of service to you. When correcting a theme, employ more than one sense avenue. Do not simply glance over it with your eye. Read it aloud, either to yourself or, better still, to someone else. When you do this you will be amazed to discover how different it ​sounds and what a new view you secure of it. When you thus change your method of composition, you will find a new group of ideas thronging into your mind. In the auditory rendition of a theme you will discover faults of syntax which escaped you in silent reading. You will note duplication of words, split infinitives, mixed tenses, poorly balanced sentences. Moreover, if your mind has certain peculiarities, you may find even more advantages accruing from such a practice. The author, for example, has a slightly different set of ideas at his disposal according to the medium of expression employed. When writing with a pencil, one set of ideas comes to mind; with a typewriter slightly different ideas arise; when talking to an audience, still different ideas. Three sets of ideas and three vocabularies are thus available for use on any subject. In adopting this device of composing through several mediums, you should combine with it the principle of distributing time already discussed in connec​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/107 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/108 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/109 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/110 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/111 ​Page:Harry Dexter Kitson - How to Use Your Mind, 2d ed. - (1921).djvu/112 ​ when they study for the purpose merely of retaining until after examination time. Intend to retain facts permanently, and there will be greater likelihood of their permanence.
READINGS AND EXERCISES
Readings: Adams (1) Chapter III. Seashore (16) Chapter II. Swift (20) Chapter VII. Watt (21).
Exercise 1. Cite examples from your own experience showing the effects of the following faults in making impressions, a. First impression not clear. b. Insufficient number of repetitions. c. Use of rote method instead of method of logical association, d. Impressions not distributed, e. Improper use of "part" method.
Exercise 2. After experimentation, state what is your most effective sense avenue for the impression of foreign words, facts in history, the pronunciation of English words.
Exercise 3. Make a preliminary draft of your next theme; lay it aside for a day or two; then write another on the same subject; combine the two, using the best parts of each; lay this aside for a day or two; then read it aloud, making such changes as are prompted by the auditory presentation. Can you find elements of worth in this method, which will warrant you in adopting it, at least, in part?