How to Use Your Mind

How to Use Your Mind

The Project Gutenberg EBook of How to Use Your Mind, by Harry D. Kitson This
eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: How to Use Your Mind A Psychology of Study: Being a Manual for the Use of
Students and Teachers in the Administration of Supervised Study
Author: Harry D. Kitson
Release Date: January 11, 2004 [EBook #10674]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO USE YOUR MIND
***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Daniel Ray and PG Distributed Proofreaders

HOW TO USE YOUR MIND
A PSYCHOLOGY OF STUDY
BEING A MANUAL FOR THE USE OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN THE
ADMINISTRATION OF SUPERVISED STUDY
BY
HARRY D. KITSON, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
1921

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
The kindly reception accorded to the first edition of this book has confirmed the author in
his conviction that such a book was needed, and has tempted him to bestow additional
labor upon it. The chief changes consist in the addition of two new chapters, "Active
Imagination," and "How to Develop Interest in a Subject"; the division into two parts of
the unwieldy chapter on memory; the addition of readings and exercises at the end of
each chapter; the preparation of an analytical table of contents; the correction of the
bibliography to date; the addition of an index; and some recasting of phraseology in the
interest of clearness and emphasis.
The author gratefully acknowledges the constructive suggestions of reviewers and others
who have used the book, and hopes that he has profited by them in this revision.
H.D.K.
April 1, 1921.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
Educational leaders are seeing with increasing clearness the necessity of teaching
students not only the subject-matter of study but also methods of study. Teachers are
beginning to see that students waste a vast amount of time and form many harmful habits
because they do not know how to use their minds. The recognition of this condition is
taking the form of the movement toward "supervised study," which attempts to acquaint
the student with principles of economy and directness in using his mind. It is generally
agreed that there are certain "tricks" which make for mental efficiency, consisting of
methods of apperceiving facts, methods of review, devices for arranging work. Some are
the fruits of psychological experimentation; others are derived from experience. Many of
them can be imparted by instruction, and it is for the purpose of systematizing these and
making them available for students that this book is prepared.
The evils of unintelligent and unsupervised study are evident to all who have any
connection with modern education. They pervade the entire educational structure from
kindergarten through college. In college they are especially apparent in the case of
freshmen, who, in addition to the numerous difficulties incident to entrance into the
college world, suffer peculiarly because they do not know how to attack the difficult
subjects of the curriculum. In recognition of these conditions, special attention is given at
The University of Chicago toward supervision of study. All freshmen in the School of
Commerce and Administration of the University are given a course in Methods of Study,
in which practical discussions and demonstrations are given regarding the ways of
studying the freshman subjects. In addition to the group-work, cases presenting special
features are given individual attention, for it must be admitted that while certain
difficulties are common to all students, there are individual cases that present peculiar
phases and these can be served only by personal consultations. These personal

consultations are expensive both in time and patience, for it frequently happens that the
mental habits of a student must be thoroughly reconstructed, and this requires much time
and attention, but the results well repay the effort. A valuable accessory to such
individual supervision over students has been found in the use of psychological tests
which have been described by the author in a monograph entitled, "The Scientific Study
of the College Student."[1]
[Footnote 1: Princeton University Press.]
But the college is not the most strategic point at which to administer guidance in methods
of study. Such training is even more acceptably given in the high school and grades. Here
habits of mental application are largely set, and it is of the utmost importance that they be
set right, for the sake of the welfare of the individuals and of the institutions of higher
education that receive them later. Another reason for incorporating training in methods of
study into secondary and elementary schools is