Page 102 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

86 • Chapter 4

on the name. Pressures in our culture divert our attention
from the person we are meeting. This distraction may arise
from our need to present ourselves well and make a good
impression during the introduction. We also may be trying
to be polite and pay attention to what the other person is
saying. The little niceties and good manners are taking our
attention away from the information we want to save.
Whatever the reason, many people do not move the new
person’s name from the sensory store to LTM simply be-
cause they have not paid enough attention to exactly what
they want to transfer. This is one example of intense con-
centration used incorrectly.
There are strategies to help you pay more attention at the
moment of the introduction. You might use your preferred
learning style to help learn the name. If you are a visual
learner, you might want to visualize the name on a theater
marquee. Asking a woman about the spelling of her name
gives more attention to the name. For example, there are a va-

Tillie finally retired from the orange juice factory. She just
couldn’t concentrate.