Quackwatch How to Memorize - Learn to memorize and increase memory If you are visiting from StumbleUpon and like this article and tool, please consider giving it a thumbs up. Thanks! Memorizing does not have to be as hard as most people make it. The problem is that most people only know how to memorize by reading the same thing over and over again. In this article we are going to focus on a technique that will let you easily: Memorize a speechMemorize the BibleMemorize linesMemorize Scripture At the end of this article is a Javascript tool that makes it easy to implement this method. Synapses and Neurons and How to Memorize In the simplified model of the brain in this discussion, we’ll be looking at neurons and synapses. When you remember something neurons fire signals down particular synapse pathways to other neurons which in turn fire signals to other neurons. Strong Pathways Synapses appear to exhibit plasticity. For example, consider remembering your home telephone number. Now consider a number that you will have trouble remembering.
The powerful and mysterious brain circuitry that makes us love Google, Twitter, and texting Seeking. You can't stop doing it. Sometimes it feels as if the basic drives for food, sex, and sleep have been overridden by a new need for endless nuggets of electronic information. We are so insatiably curious that we gather data even if it gets us in trouble. Emily Yoffe is a contributing editor at the Atlantic. We actually resemble nothing so much as those legendary lab rats that endlessly pressed a lever to give themselves a little electrical jolt to the brain. In 1954, psychologist James Olds and his team were working in a laboratory at McGill University, studying how rats learned. Olds, and everyone else, assumed he'd found the brain's pleasure center (some scientists still think so). But to Washington State University neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, this supposed pleasure center didn't look very much like it was producing pleasure. It is an emotional state Panksepp tried many names for: curiosity, interest, foraging, anticipation, craving, expectancy.
Scientists capture the first image of memories being made The ability to learn and to establish new memories is essential to our daily existence and identity; enabling us to navigate through the world. A new study by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro), McGill University and University of California, Los Angeles has captured an image for the first time of a mechanism, specifically protein translation, which underlies long-term memory formation. The finding provides the first visual evidence that when a new memory is formed new proteins are made locally at the synapse - the connection between nerve cells - increasing the strength of the synaptic connection and reinforcing the memory. The study published in Science, is important for understanding how memory traces are created and the ability to monitor it in real time will allow a detailed understanding of how memories are formed. (Photo Credit: Science)
Transcending the Matrix Control System The lesson you never got taught in school: How to learn! | Neurobonkers A paper published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest evaluated ten techniques for improving learning, ranging from mnemonics to highlighting and came to some surprising conclusions. The report is quite a heavy document so I’ve summarised the techniques below based on the conclusions of the report regarding effectiveness of each technique. Be aware that everyone thinks they have their own style of learning (they don't, according to the latest research), and the evidence suggests that just because a technique works or does not work for other people does not necessarily mean it will or won’t work well for you. If you want to know how to revise or learn most effectively you will still want to experiment on yourself a little with each technique before writing any of them off. Elaborative Interrogation (Rating = moderate) A method involving creating explanations for why stated facts are true. An example of elaborative interrogation for the above paragraph could be: Reference:
How Magic Mushrooms Work - Lifestyle Psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, has a "long history of use in healing ceremonies," but it has yet to achieve the legitimacy afforded regulated pharmaceutical drugs. A growing body of shroom research may change that. One recent study found that when volunteers took psilocybin—and were subjected to a soundtrack of "world music"—the subjects reported "improved relationships with family and others, increased physical and psychological self-care, and increased devotion to spiritual practice"—typical mind-expansion stuff. Now, a new pair of studies claim that magic mushrooms don't actually expand the mind—in a sense, they contract it. In one study, researchers took a set of 15 "healthy, hallucinogen-experienced" volunteers, gave them psilocybin, then watched their brains. The result?
The biology of dreaming o one would normally consider David Maurice, Ph.D., professor of ocular physiology in the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, a revolutionary. Nevertheless, he has reignited a decades-long controversy that could spark a revolutionary re-evaluation of an entire field of behavioral research. Dr. Maurice has developed a startling new line of scientific inquiry that, when added to other findings, could change our understanding of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and the nature of dreams. What Maurice has done is to suggest an alternative explanation for the phenomenon known as REM sleep, the stage in which the eyes rapidly move and most dreams occur. "Without REM," Maurice told 21stC, "our corneas would starve and suffocate while we are asleep with our eyes closed." Maurice's interest in REM began a few years ago. "What is at stake here is a theory of dreams that is scientifically valid," Dr. Interpretation vs. observation Drs. No final answer in sight Neil B.
For those who want to know: Reliable information on health, energy, media, war, elections, 9/11, more Incremental reading Introduction Traditional linear reading is highly inefficient. This comes from the fact that various pieces of the text are of various importance. What is incremental reading? Incremental reading is a learning technique that makes it possible to read thousands of articles at the same time without getting lost. Incremental reading converts electronic articles into durable knowledge in your memory. Input: electronic articles (e.g. collected from the net) Output: well-remembered knowledge (quizzed regularly in the form of questions and answers) In incremental reading, you read articles in small portions. Warning! Five basic skills of incremental reading Incremental reading requires skills that you will perfect only over months and years of use. Skill 1: Importing articles Five article import methods Initially, you may limit your imports to a simple copy&paste of individual articles. Here are the 5 main article import methods in SuperMemo: Import by Copy&Paste Import of multiple articles
Facts about the Brain and Sleep Neurogenesis - “The birth of new neurons in the brain; also referred to as the process in which neurons are created.” The growth of new brain cells occurs in the region of the brain called the “hippocampus.” The ‘hippocampus’ is an area involved with memory, learning, and other cognitive functions. Most importantly, they need support from other surrounding neurons - otherwise these new brain cells will die. Though neurogenesis is most active during prenatal development, there is growing evidence that certain activities also induce the growth of new brain cells [neurons] in the brain. Everybody knows that exercise is good for your overall health and heart, but in recent findings, powerful evidence has proven that exercise is great for your brain. Another study at Colombia University found that humans who had a exercise training program were able to grow and maintain new brain cells and nerve cells in the hippocampus region of the brain. Sci STKE. 2003 Aug; (195):318. -Biotele [Source])
The Science of Word Recognition About fonts > ClearType The Science of Word Recognition or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bouma Kevin LarsonAdvanced Reading Technology, Microsoft CorporationJuly 2004 Introduction Evidence from the last 20 years of work in cognitive psychology indicate that we use the letters within a word to recognize a word. This paper is written from the perspective of a reading psychologist. The goal of this paper is to review the history of why psychologists moved from a word shape model of word recognition to a letter recognition model, and to help others to come to the same conclusion. I will start by describing three major categories of word recognition models: the word shape model, and serial and parallel models of letter recognition. Model #1: Word Shape The word recognition model that says words are recognized as complete units is the oldest model in the psychological literature, and is likely much older than the psychological literature. characters Model #2: Serial Letter Recognition
The Battle for Your Mind: Brainwashing Techniques Authoritarian followers Mind Control Subliminals By Dick Sutphen Summary of Contents The Birth of Conversion The Three Brain Phases How Revivalist Preachers Work Voice Roll Technique Six Conversion Techniques 1. keeping agreements 2.physical and mental fatigue 3. increase the tension 4. Uncertainty. 5. Jargon 6. No humor Stockholm SyndromeDecognition Process Step One is ALERTNESS REDUCTION Step Two is PROGRAMED CONFUSION Step Three is THOUGHT STOPPINGTrue Believers & Mass Movements Persuasion Techniques YES SET TRUISMS SUGGESTION Imbedded Commands INTERSPERSAL TECHNIQUE Visualisation SHOCK AND CONFUSIONSubliminal Programming Mass Misuse Vibrato Extra Low Frequencies The Neurophone Summary of Contents The Birth of Conversion/Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735. I'm Dick Sutphen and this tape is a studio-recorded, expanded version of a talk I delivered at the World Congress of Professional Hypnotists Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Birth of Conversion Charles J. Alright.
How to Become a Human Calendar Mentally finding out the day of the week for any date is a skill you can easily learn. You don’t need to be an autistic genius – all it takes is basic memorization effort and some trivial math. When I first learned this technique many years ago, I did it just for fun. With time, I learned to enjoy the convenience of not needing a calendar anymore. It’s far more useful than I first thought, and with just a little practice, you’ll be able to find out the days of the week much faster than when reaching for a calendar. The Method To find out the days of the week for any date, use the formula: [day of week] = (yearcode + monthcode + day) mod 7 If you’re not math-inclined, this may look quite scary at first, but don’t worry: using the formula is straightforward. Month and Year Codes The month codes are one of the formula’s most troublesome parts, since they don’t follow a clear logic. We also need the year code, which are also apparently arbitrary. Days of the Week The Calculation 5 means Thursday.