Memory, Retention and
Performance
James E Van Arsdall EdD
American National Government
Human Relations Skills
History
Objectives: As a result of this
presentation you should be able to:
List principles of adult learning,
memory and retention
Objectives: As a result of this
presentation you should be able to:
List methods of test preparation
and review
Objectives: As a result of this
presentation you should be able to:
Demonstrate relaxation techniques
applicable to retention and
performance.
LEARNING
A RELATIVELY PERMANENT
CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR
THAT COMES AS THE RESULT OF
A PLANNED EXPERIENCE
TEACHING
A PLANNED EXPERIENCE
THAT BRINGS ABOUT A
CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR
TYPES OF LEARNING
•COGNITIVE - Knowledge
•AFFECTIVE - Attitudes
•PSYCHOMOTOR - Skills
PRINCIPLES OF ADULT
LEARNING
•Participation is usually
voluntary
•Slight familiarity with class
routine
•More life experience
(+ or - impact on learning)
PRINCIPLES OF ADULT
LEARNING
•Varied teaching = higher
retention
*20 MINUTE RULE
•Time perspective is important
*IMMEDIATE USAGE
PRINCIPLES OF ADULT
LEARNING
Learner must take
ownership of
objectives
Retention
Reading - 10%
Hearing - 20%
Seeing - 30%
Seeing/Hearing - 50%
Saying - 70%
Saying/Doing - 90%
Memory and Retention
S4R/Q
S = Survey
R = Read
R = Recite
R = (W)rite
R = Review
------------------------------
Q = Question
Review
In twenty minute segments
or with twenty minute
breaks.
Six minutes after you
learned.
Review
Ten hours after you have
learned
Four times as large as the
previous time. (40 hours
later for third time)
Review
Four times as large as
the previous time as
needed.
Characteristics of Poor Listeners
1. Avoiding experience
2. Lacking interest
3. Criticizing delivery
Characteristics of Poor Listeners
4. Getting too worked up
5. Listening for facts only
6. Outlining everything
7. Faking attention
Characteristics of Poor Listeners
8. Tolerating distractions
9. Wasting thought power
10. Lacking preparation
Good Listening Skills
MOTIVATION
REACTION
CONCENTRATION
Good Listening Skills
ORGANIZATION
COMPREHENSION
REPETITION
Good Listening Skills
In order for effective listening to
take place, a person must be
MOTIVATED.
Good Listening Skills
If he/she decides to avoid the experience of
listening to a given encode, this person is
showing that he/she is not interested in
what is being said, they will not be able to
REACT to the communication that is the
first step in decoding or interpreting the
information.
Good Listening Skills
Criticizing the speaker's delivery or
getting too worked up about something
he has said can interrupt a listener's
CONCENTRATION. Either faking
attention or tolerating distractions will
make true concentration very difficult.
Good Listening Skills
Since ORGANIZATION and
COMPREHENSION are also necessary for
effective listening to take place, if a person listens
only for facts he/she might not comprehend the
unity and coherence of the speaker. On the other
hand, if a person outlines everything, he/she might
appear to be well organized, but might not be
interpreting the full intent of the communication.
Good Listening Skills
Wasting thought power by daydreaming
or thinking about something other than
what is being said will also disrupt
COMPREHENSION. The speaker often
uses explanations and illustrations to
reinforce a point they are trying to make.
Good Listening Skills
While this REPETITION or explanation
might encourage some poor listeners to
waste thought power by thinking about
other things, it is important for
communication because it suggests that
which the speaker feels is important.
Memory and Test Taking
Current research has clearly documented
that test coaching and preparation can
significantly increase information retention
and test performance. Any examination
tests your skill in two basic areas:
•1. Knowledge, retention and
application of the technical material.
•2. Skill and familiarity with test
taking and and basic question and test
types.
Test Item Analysis
Discrimination (Discr)
-1.00 to +1.00
Difficulty (Diff)
.00 to 1.00
Two Principles of Perfect
Memory
Imagination
Association
Left Brain
Words
Order
Sequence
Number
Right Brain
Color
Rhythm
Dimension
Daydreaming
Nutrition and Memory
Choline Green leafy vegetables Improves memory
Vitamin B12 Dairy products, fish, Deficiency impairs
meats memory and
concentration
Vitamin B1 Wheat germ, green leafy Need for good
(Thiamine) vegetables, lean meats memory
Vitamin B6 Brewer’s yeast, bananas, Needed for
peanuts, poultry concentration
Nutrition and Memory
Vitamin C Citrus fruits, tomatoes, Removes toxins;
broccoli, green peppers reduces stress; helps
concentration
Calcium Dairy products, green Deficiency impairs
leafy vegetables memory
Physical Exercise Running, jogging, Reduces stress;
walking, swimming improves memory by
increasing the oxygen
flow to brain
Relaxation Exercise Deep breathing Reduces stress;
increases oxygen to
brain; improves
concentration
Super Learning Methods
Georgi Lozanov (Bulgarian Physician)
1. Relaxation
2. Visualization
3. Joy of Learning - Positive Thinking
4. Breathing with Baroque Largo Music
(60 beats per minute)
5. Review
Summary and Conclusion
Tips
Try Mindtools Web Site to
Improve Your memory.
http://www.mindtools.com
How to Improve Your
Memory
Time, June 12, 2000
http://www.time.com