Page 127 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

Develop a Brawny Brain • 111

Time Allowed to Search
Harmeyer’s Law of Problem Solving states that 95 percent of
your ability to solve a problem rests entirely in two beliefs:

1. A solution to the problem exists.
2. You can find the solution.

If either of these beliefs is compromised, you stop look-
ing for the solution. The key to retrieving information is to
keep looking for it. Allow yourself plenty of time to remem-
ber. Don’t get frustrated with yourself if you cannot remem-
ber a fact in a split-second. The frustration will interfere with
your search. Work through the search strategies you learned
in this section.

Associations
The creation of associations refers to tying new information to
already-learned information. Just as associations are formed
by groups of people joined by a common interest, we can use
common ideas to assist us in storing information in memory.
You can make links or connections between what you want
to learn and what you previously committed to memory.
Thinking of one idea will cause you to think of the other. You
can use this technique in all learning situations. The more as-
sociations you create, the more likely you will be able to re-
call the information successfully. This process is related to the
expression Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If you have
used several techniques to try to retain some information,
you are in effect carrying your information in more than one
basket. And if something happens to one basket, you can still
access the eggs (information) in the other baskets.
One example is learning someone’s name. Suppose that
you encounter a woman named Janet. You might try to find
something distinctive about her that reminds you of a planet
to help you remember by a rhyming link. Perhaps she has a
round face. When you see her face, it will remind you of a
planet. Many names suit a person, and it is easy, once you get