Page 110 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

94 • Chapter 4

Did you notice that the older slogans are more easily re-
called? That is the signature of repetition priming. Once
you’ve “got it,” the information, however valuable, is there
for a very long time without a conscious effort at memo-
rization on your part.

Imaging
If you are a visual learner, you probably create visual images
automatically to help you remember information. The image
may contain words or objects, but you can see the information
in your mind. If your dominant learning style is not visual,
you can learn to create these images. Practice on a grocery list.
Try to learn the items on that list. Imagine yourself in the food
store, walking down the aisles to locate the items. See your-
self picking up an item and putting it into the grocery cart.
Repeat this for each of the items.
When you get to the store, you may use visual images to
“see” your kitchen and remember what you need to buy.
Buying clothes for someone else, you use your visual/spa-
tial abilities to imagine the person, his size, and how the
shirt you are holding will fit and look on him. Looking at the
plans for a new house or the pattern for a new dress also re-
quires exercising your spatial capabilities.
For some people, distractions inhibit their ability to cre-
ate images. Concentrate on the information so that it is in