1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,839
Speaker 1: Phases of memory. One of the first things apt to

2
00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,919
be noticed by the student of memory is the fact

3
00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,839
that there are several different phases of the manifestation of memory.

4
00:00:12,519 --> 00:00:16,039
That is to say, that there are several general classes

5
00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,719
into which the phenomena of memory may be grouped. And

6
00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,000
accordingly we find some persons quite highly developed in certain

7
00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,960
phases of memory, and quite deficient in others. If there

8
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,640
were but one phase or class of memory, then a

9
00:00:32,679 --> 00:00:36,359
person who had developed his memory along any particular line

10
00:00:36,759 --> 00:00:40,479
would have at the same time developed it equally along

11
00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,200
all the other lines. But this is far from being

12
00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,960
the true state of affairs. We find men who are

13
00:00:48,039 --> 00:00:52,240
quite proficient in recalling the impression of faces, while they

14
00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,000
find it very difficult to recall the names of the

15
00:00:55,039 --> 00:01:00,159
persons whose faces they remember. Others can remember fases and

16
00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:05,719
not names. Others have an excellent recollection of localities, while

17
00:01:05,799 --> 00:01:12,640
others are constantly losing themselves. Others remember dates, prices, numbers,

18
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:17,079
and figures generally, while deficient in other forms of recollection.

19
00:01:18,359 --> 00:01:23,640
Others remember tales, incidents, anecdotes, et cetera, while forgetting other

20
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:28,000
things and so on. Each person being apt to possess

21
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,840
a memory good in some phases, while deficient in others.

22
00:01:33,239 --> 00:01:38,079
The phases of memory may be divided into two general classes, namely,

23
00:01:38,599 --> 00:01:45,319
one memory of sense impressions and two memory of ideas.

24
00:01:45,359 --> 00:01:50,079
This classification is somewhat arbitrary for the reason that sense

25
00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,640
impressions develop into ideas, and ideas are composed to a

26
00:01:54,719 --> 00:01:59,120
considerable extent of sense impressions. But in a general way,

27
00:01:59,599 --> 00:02:03,879
the sussification serves its purpose, which is the grouping together

28
00:02:03,959 --> 00:02:08,439
of certain phases of the phenomena of memory. Memory of

29
00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,800
sense impressions, of course, includes the impressions received from all

30
00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:18,599
of the five senses sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.

31
00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,759
But when we come down to a practical examination of

32
00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,360
sense impressions retained in the memory, we find that the

33
00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,639
majority of such impressions are those obtained through the two

34
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:35,360
respective senses of sight and hearing. The impressions received from

35
00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:40,879
the sense of taste, touch, and smell, respectively, are comparatively small,

36
00:02:41,599 --> 00:02:45,280
except in the cases of certain experts and special lines

37
00:02:45,599 --> 00:02:50,840
whose occupation consists in acquiring a very delicate sense of taste, smell,

38
00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,479
or touch, and correspondingly a fine sense of memory. Along

39
00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:00,960
these particular lines, for instance, the one fine taster and

40
00:03:01,039 --> 00:03:04,680
tea tasters, who are able to distinguish between the various

41
00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,759
grades of merchandise handled by them, have developed not only

42
00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,680
very fine senses of taste and smell, but also a

43
00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:17,159
remarkable memory of the impressions previously received, the power of

44
00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,240
discrimination depending as much upon the memory as upon the

45
00:03:21,319 --> 00:03:26,479
special sense. In the same way, the skilled surgeon, as

46
00:03:26,479 --> 00:03:30,159
well as the skilled mechanic, acquires a fine sense of

47
00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:34,919
touch and a correspondingly highly developed memory of touch impressions.

48
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,199
But as we have said, the greater part of the

49
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,599
sense impressions stored away in our memories are those previously

50
00:03:43,719 --> 00:03:48,560
received through the sense of sight and hearing, respectively. The

51
00:03:48,599 --> 00:03:52,520
majority of sense impressions stored away in the memory have

52
00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:57,240
been received more or less involuntarily, that is, with the

53
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,599
application of but a slight degree of attention. They are

54
00:04:01,639 --> 00:04:06,400
more or less indistinct and hazy, and are recalled with difficulty.

55
00:04:06,879 --> 00:04:10,840
The remembrance of them generally coming about without conscious effort

56
00:04:11,159 --> 00:04:16,160
according to the law of association, that is, they come

57
00:04:16,199 --> 00:04:19,399
principally when we are thinking about something else upon which

58
00:04:19,439 --> 00:04:22,720
we have given thought and attention, and with which they

59
00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,800
have been associated. There is quite a difference between the

60
00:04:26,879 --> 00:04:30,920
remembrance of sense impressions received in this way and those

61
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,480
which we record by the bestowal of attention, interest, and concentration.

62
00:04:37,079 --> 00:04:40,360
The sense impressions of sight are by far the most

63
00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:46,040
numerous in our subconscious storehouse. We are constantly exercising our

64
00:04:46,079 --> 00:04:50,439
sense of sight and receiving thousands of different site impressions

65
00:04:50,519 --> 00:04:54,560
every hour. But the majority of these impressions are but

66
00:04:54,759 --> 00:04:58,439
faintly recorded upon the memory, because we give to them

67
00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:03,279
but little attention or interest. But it is astonishing at

68
00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,920
times when we find that when we recall some important

69
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,879
event or incident, we also recall many faint sight impressions

70
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,279
of which we did not dream we had any record.

71
00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,319
To realize the important part played by sight impressions in

72
00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,839
the phenomena of memory. Recall some particular time or event

73
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,040
in your life, and see how many more things that

74
00:05:27,079 --> 00:05:30,839
you saw are remembered compared with a number of things

75
00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:36,560
that you heard or tasted, or felt or smelled. Second

76
00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,560
in number, however, are the impressions received through the sense

77
00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,160
of hearing, And consequently the memory stores away a great

78
00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:50,600
number of sound impressions. In some cases, the impressions of

79
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,560
sight and sound are joined together as, for instance, in

80
00:05:54,639 --> 00:05:57,720
the case of words in which not only the sound,

81
00:05:57,959 --> 00:06:01,360
but the shape of the letters composing the word, or

82
00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,720
rather the word shape itself, are stored away together, and

83
00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,480
consequently are far more readily remembered or recollected than things

84
00:06:10,519 --> 00:06:14,800
of which but one sense impression is recorded. Teachers of

85
00:06:14,879 --> 00:06:17,639
memory use this fact as a means of helping their

86
00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:22,160
students to memorize words by speaking them aloud and then

87
00:06:22,399 --> 00:06:27,160
writing them down. Many persons memorize names in this way,

88
00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,639
the impression of the written word being added to the

89
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:35,800
impression of the sound, thus doubling the record. The more

90
00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,319
impressions that you can make regarding a thing, the greater

91
00:06:39,439 --> 00:06:44,120
are the chances of your easily recollecting it. Likewise, it

92
00:06:44,199 --> 00:06:47,319
is very important to attach an impression of a weaker

93
00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,439
sense to that of a stronger one in order that

94
00:06:50,519 --> 00:06:55,120
the former may be memorized. For instance, if you have

95
00:06:55,199 --> 00:06:58,759
a good eye memory and a poor ear memory, it

96
00:06:58,879 --> 00:07:02,800
is well to attach your sound impressions to the site impressions,

97
00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,319
And if you have a poor eye memory and a

98
00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,800
good ear memory, it is important to attach your sight

99
00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,879
impressions to your sound impressions. In this way, you take

100
00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,199
advantage of the law of association, of which we have

101
00:07:18,319 --> 00:07:23,480
told you. Under the subclass of sight impressions are found

102
00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,800
the smaller divisions of memory, known as memory of locality,

103
00:07:28,199 --> 00:07:33,160
memory of figures, memory of form, memory of color, and

104
00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:38,399
memory of written or printed words. Under the subclass of

105
00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:43,079
sound impressions are found the smaller divisions of memory known

106
00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:48,759
as memory of spoken words, memory of names, memory of stories,

107
00:07:49,279 --> 00:07:54,079
memory of music, etc. We shall pay special attention to

108
00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:59,399
these forms of memory in succeeding chapters. The second general

109
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:06,079
class of memory of ideas includes the memory of facts, events, thoughts,

110
00:08:06,519 --> 00:08:10,680
lines of reasoning, et cetera, and is regarded as higher

111
00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,439
in the scale than the memory of sense impressions, although

112
00:08:14,519 --> 00:08:19,480
not more necessary nor useful to the average person. This

113
00:08:19,639 --> 00:08:23,040
form of memory, of course, accompanies the higher lines of

114
00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:27,759
intellectual effort and activities, and constitutes a large part of

115
00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:32,159
what is known as true education, that is, education which

116
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,159
teaches one to think instead of to merely memorize certain

117
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:41,279
things taught in books or lectures. The well rounded man

118
00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,600
mentally is he who has developed his memory on all sides,

119
00:08:46,039 --> 00:08:48,799
rather than the one who has developed but one special

120
00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,759
phase of the faculty. It is true that a man's

121
00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,919
interest and occupation certainly tend to develop his memory according

122
00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,559
to his daily needs and requirements. But it is well

123
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:02,559
that he should give to the other parts of his

124
00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:06,240
memory field some exercise in order that he may not

125
00:09:06,399 --> 00:09:12,240
grow one sided. As Hallick has said, many persons think

126
00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,840
that memory is mainly due to sight, But we have

127
00:09:15,919 --> 00:09:19,080
as many different kinds of memory as we have senses.

128
00:09:20,159 --> 00:09:24,559
To sight, the watermelon is a long, greenish body, but

129
00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:29,279
this is its least important quality. Sight alone gives the

130
00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,759
poorest idea of the watermelon. We approach the vine where

131
00:09:33,799 --> 00:09:37,240
the fruit is growing, and in order to decide whether

132
00:09:37,279 --> 00:09:40,679
it is ripe, we tap the rind and judge by

133
00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,919
the sound. We must remember that a ripe watermelon has

134
00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,799
a certain resonance. By passing our hands over the melon,

135
00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,240
we learn that it has certain touch characteristics. We cut

136
00:09:54,279 --> 00:09:57,480
it open and learn the qualities of taste and smell.

137
00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,399
All this knowledge affords by the different senses must enter

138
00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,679
into a perfected memory image. Hence we see that many

139
00:10:06,759 --> 00:10:10,039
complex processes go to form an idea of a thing.

140
00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,279
Napoleon was not content with only hearing a name. He

141
00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,720
wrote it down, and, having satisfied his eye memory as

142
00:10:19,759 --> 00:10:23,639
well as his ear memory, he threw the paper away.

143
00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,200
In this book we shall point out the methods and

144
00:10:27,279 --> 00:10:30,799
processes calculated to round out the memory of the student.

145
00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,240
As a rule, his strong phases of memory need but

146
00:10:35,399 --> 00:10:40,159
little attention, although even in these a little scientific knowledge

147
00:10:40,159 --> 00:10:44,679
will be of use. But in the weaker phases, those

148
00:10:44,799 --> 00:10:48,360
phases in which his memory is poor, he should exert

149
00:10:48,399 --> 00:10:51,879
a new energy and activity to the end that these

150
00:10:51,919 --> 00:10:55,639
weaker regions of the memory may be cultivated and fertilized

151
00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,720
and well stored with the seed impressions which will bear

152
00:10:59,759 --> 00:11:04,559
a good crop in time. There is no phase, field,

153
00:11:04,799 --> 00:11:08,120
or class of memory that is not capable of being

154
00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:15,559
highly developed by intelligent application. It requires practice, exercise, and work,

155
00:11:16,039 --> 00:11:20,159
but the reward is great. Many a man is handicapped

156
00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,639
by being deficient in certain phases of memory, while proficient

157
00:11:24,759 --> 00:11:29,080
in others. The remedy is in his own hands, and

158
00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,960
we feel that in this book we have given to

159
00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,440
each the means whereby he may acquire a good memory

160
00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:37,559
along any or all lines.