[originaltext] Some of the most practical lessons coming out of research in

Some of the most practical lessons coming out of research in psychology are in the area of memory. People ask, why can’t I remember that term from the physics chapter or that the library books are due?
     Many people, memory may be weak, because they don’t use it enough. It’s like a muscle. If you don’t exercise it, it won’t get strong. That’s why it’s important to keep our mind active, to keep on learning throughout our life. We can do this by reading, playing memory games and seeking out new experiences. It’s my guess, though, that the lack of stimulation isn’t a problem for students like you. More likely, the lives you live are so busy and stimulating that this in itself may sometimes interfere with learning. Later on I will discuss how information is recalled from memory. But, first, the information needs to be recorded, in other words, learned. And for busy people like you and me, that is where the real problem often lies. If we are distracted, or we are trying to think what we are going to do next, the incoming message just might not be getting recorded effectively. And that leads to the first tip for students who want to improve their memories. Give your full attention to the information you hope to retain. Research clearly shows the advantages of this, and also of active learning, of consciously trying to visualize a new fact, perhaps to make a mental picture, even a wild ridiculous one, so the new fact will stick in our memory. Let me illustrate that for you here a little more concretely this evening.