Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It — John Shaqi
Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use ItAtkinson, William Walker
Science
Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It
Atkinson, William Walker
Memory
Memory of Sense Impressions of course includes the impressions received
from all of the five senses: sight; hearing; taste; touch; and smell.
But when we come down to a practical examination of sense impressions
retained in the memory, we find that the majority of such impressions
are those obtained through the two respective senses of sight and
hearing. The impressions received from the sense of taste, touch and
smell, respectively, are comparatively small, except in the cases of
certain experts in special lines, whose occupation consists in acquiring
a very delicate sense of taste, smell or touch, and correspondingly a
fine sense of memory along these particular lines. For instance, the
wine-taster and tea-tasters, who are able to distinguish between the
various grades of merchandise handled by them, have developed not only
very fine senses of taste and smell, but also a remarkable memory of the
impressions previously received, the power of discrimination depending
as much upon the memory as upon the special sense. In the same way the
skilled surgeon as well as the skilled mechanic acquires a fine sense of
touch and a correspondingly highly developed memory of touch
impressions.
But, as we have said, the greater part of the sense impressions stored
away in our memories are those previously received through the senses
of sight and hearing, respectively. The majority of sense impressions,
stored away in the memory, have been received more or less
involuntarily, that is with the application of but a slight degree of
attention. They are more or less indistinct and hazy, and are recalled
with difficulty, the remembrance of them generally coming about without
conscious effort, according to the law of association. That is, they
come principally when we are thinking about something else upon which we
have given thought and attention, and with which they have been
associated. There is quite a difference between the remembrance of sense
impressions received in this way, and those which we record by the
bestowal of attention, interest and concentration.
The sense impressions of sight are by far the most numerous in our
subconscious storehouse. We are constantly exercising our sense of
sight, and receiving thousands of different sight impressions every
hour. But the majority of these impressions are but faintly recorded
upon the memory, because we give to them but little attention or
interest. But it is astonishing, at times, when we find that when we
recall some important event or incident we also recall many faint sight
impressions of which we did not dream we had any record. To realize the
important part played by sight impressions in the phenomena of memory,
recall some particular time or event in your life, and see how many more
things that you _saw_ are remembered, compared with the number of things
that you _heard_, or tasted, or felt or smelled.
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