Whenever a person is exposed to several things at the same time, s/he may not learn about all of them. If one aspect is more noticeable, more familiar, or more interesting than some other aspect, it may capture most of one's attention and therefore most of what one learns. Everyone remembers best the unusual sight, the dramatic climax, the unexpected happening. Routine events are "overshadowed" by more conspicuous ones.
Overshadowing is important to the college student because the important information that you must learn is often overshadowed by its context. One common example is a professor who tells lots of jokes in class. Many students remember the jokes, but do not remember the professor's points in telling the jokes. Another example is a textbook (such as this one) that includes many familiar illustrations of the main ideas. It is easy to remember the illustrations but fail to learn the main ideas. You must be alert not to let jokes and illustrations distract you from attending to the really important material.
Let me give an analogy. Most football fans keep their eyes on the ball, following the exciting aspects of the play. However, if you want to be a student of the game of football, you will quickly learn that most games are won or lost by the less spectacular action on the front line. In similar fashion, you may enjoy the jokes and the illustrations in a college course but you must learn to keep your attention focused on the basic ideas being presented.
īFor learning's sakeļ. Some people say they want to climb a mountain "because it is there." That is the ideal attitude to take toward learning: Develop a desire to learn because knowledge is there to be learned. Even if a course is a required part of a degree program, try to approach it because of its intrinsic interest. Learning is easier and better if it is done for the sake of learning rather than to satisfy some requirement. The human brain is surely the most marvelous thing in the world. Its most marvelous feature is the capacity to learn. Nothing else in the whole universe (except intelligent life on another planet) can acquire knowledge from experience. Another of its marvelous features is the fact that millions of brain cells die every day of our lives, but the remaining cells are able to carry on without any significant loss of brain power. For them to do so, however, one must remain mentally active. Increasingly, the evidence shows that you are most likely to "lose your mind" through disuse. The most valuable advice I can give you, or that you can give those you love, is this: īNever stop learningļ. The expression, "use it of lose it," applies more to the mind than to the body!
POSTSCRIPT: Appendix J (Science and Behavior) and Appendix K (Statistics) are not directly on the topics of learning and memory. However, they provide some relevant background for courses in the behavior sciences and hence should be a part of your general preparation for college. I therefore recommend that you study them whenever time permits.
I also urge you to take the open-book final exam. In doing so, remember the importance of being correct lest you learn your errors. If you are not sure of an answer, go back to the text and check yourself. The value of this book to you is dependent on how much you have learned of its contents.