Psychology : $b A study of mental lifeWoodworth, Robert Sessions
Science
Psychology : $b A study of mental life
Woodworth, Robert Sessions
Psychology
2. Disorders of memory can be classified under the four heads of
disorders of learning, of retention, of recall and of recognition.
Where would you place each of the following?
(a) Aphasia, where, through brain injury, the subject's
vocabulary is very much reduced.
(b) The condition of the very old person, who cannot remember
what has happened during the day, though he still remembers
experiences of his youth.
(c) The "feeling of having been there before", in which you have
a weird impression that what is happening now has happened in
just the same way before, as if events were simply repeating
themselves.
(d) The loss of memory which sometimes occurs after a physical
or emotional shock, or after a fever, and which passes away
after a time.
3. How fully can you recall what happened on some interesting
occasion when you were a child of 5-8 years? Dwell on the
experience, and see whether you get back more than at first seemed
possible. Try the same with an experience of five years ago.
4. If a student came to you for advice, complaining of poor memory,
and said that though he put hours and hours on a lesson and read it
over many times, still he failed on it, what questions would you
ask regarding his method of study, and what suggestions would you
offer?
5. An experiment on memorising lists of numbers. Prepare several
lists of 20 digits, and shuffle them; draw out one and take your
time for learning it to the point of perfect recitation. Write an
introspective account of the process. Repeat with a second list
6. An experiment in memorizing word-pairs. Prepare 20 pairs of
words as follows: take 20 cards or slips of paper, and write a
different word on each. Then turn them over, shuffle, and write
another word on the back of each. Thus, though you may know what
words you have written, you do not how how they are paired; and now
your job is to learn the pairs. Note starting time, take the first
card and look at both {365} sides, and study the pair of words on
this card for about 5 seconds, passing then to the second card, and
so on through the pack. Shuffle the pack, take the top card and
give yourself about 5 seconds to recall the word on the reverse,
then turning the card over and reading it. Proceed in this way
through the pack, shuffle again, and repeat. Continue thus till you
score 100 per cent. Note total time required, and report on process
of memorizing.
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