The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Memory

Years ago, Richard A. Lupoff developed memory improvement courses for the U. S. Army. The methods he used then were extremely successful, and he has since written more than 40 books. He has teamed up with another prolific author, Michael Kurland, to write The Complete Idiot's Guide To Improving Your Memory. They promise to show "how a person of any age can develop a prodigious memory."Memory is information storage. Information is "anything that comes to you through your senses--sight, hearing, scent, taste, or touch." Some of the incoming information is not retained at all, some is kept temporarily, and some is stored forever. There are also different types of memory. For example, most of us can remember what we've learned, especially skills like how to walk or talk, but we can't remember how we learned it. We simply retain the ability to walk or talk. Kurland and Lupoff first discuss what is known about how memories are formed and retained. Most people, however, are more interested in recalling what they know, when they need to know it. The bulk of the book offers tips and techniques for doing just that. The authors focus on associations and mnemonics as the most effective ways to recall information.Associations involve making a mental connection between something familiar, such as the furniture in a room, and new information. A common mnemonic uses the word HOMES as a way to recall the names of the Great Lakes. Kurland and Lupoff provide many examples of these, and other techniques, making it easy for readers to learn what works best for them. They debunk the notion that memory loss is inevitable with age, saying that while "a little memory loss as you age is natural, [if] your memory for recent events is getting worse and worse, this isn't natural." Readers with rapidly failing memories are advised to contact their physicians.The authors also provide tips for students for overcoming test anxiety, so that they can better remember what they've learned.Kurland and Lupoff say that memory is like any other skill--the more you practice, "the more confident and relaxed you will become, and the better your performance will be." Improving Your Memory gives readers all the tools they need to develop or improve their memory skills.Sandra I. Smith Reviewer

i enjoyed the complete idiot's guide to improving your memory very much. i was very nervous about medical school. i was 39 years old. i didn't know if i could handle the intensity of the medical studies. my physician told me to buy and study this book a few weeks before my first classes. this book has helped me tremondously with my memorization. i couldn't believe i got one of the highest scores in my first test. this has given me a great confindence to succeed for the rest of my studies and trainings.thank michael kurtland and his co-authors for writing this in such a way that it was so much to read and study it. john godin, second year medical student