V. Let’s Talk
Script
Student: Professor, thank you for graining me this interview. I’m Susan, a reporter from the Student Union magazine. Many students have difficultly memorizing things. Since you‘re an outstanding psychologist, could you give us some tips on how top improve our memory?
Professor: Well, some people have better memories than others, but that’s largely because they are better at creating mental images.
Student: If I’m not good at creating images, what can I do?
Professor: Practice helps. And the mind remembers things better if they are connected with other images. For example, I you have to pick up several items at the grocery store, say, carrots, egg, bananas, and milk, you can create a picture in your mind of a giant carrot, and hanging from it, a banana.
Student: Then I could have a giant milk carton pouring milk over the carrot and banana.
Professor: Certainly. Then what would you do with the egg?
Student: Hmmm. I’d visualize an egg-shaped UFO flying across the sky.
Professor: There you go. The more you apply the ideas, the easier it gets. Besides creating pictures, there’s another technique that is very useful.
Student: What is it?
Professor: Establishing an association. Suppose you are looking for lost keys.
Relax, and let your mind look for all the images connected with those keys--their feel, the sounds they make.
Student: How will that help?
Professor: You might remember the sound the keys made when you placed then in a drawer or cold touch of the keys in your jacket were you left them.
Student: Oh my gosh! I have to run. It’s time my English class. I see an image of my teacher staring at my empty seat in the classroom. Many thanks, Professor.
Professor: Not at all, and good luck with your memory.
Ways of Improving One’s Memory
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Examples
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Creating images
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To remember the items to buy sat the grocery store such as carrots, eggs, bananas, and milk
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Images that you may help:
1.a giant carrot and a banana hanging from it
2. a giant milk carton pouring milk over the carrot and banana
3. an egg-shaped UFO flying across the sky
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Establishing associations
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To find your lost keys
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Associations with sound touch that may help:
1. The sound of the keys might remind you of y\having placed then in a drawer.
2. The cold touch of the keys might remind you of them in your jacket.
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