Sequential Problem Solving | Page 3

associated memory cells. These axon runners
from one cell connect through synapses to dendrite runners on other
cells. As the axon-dendrite pathway is used repetitiously, the
surrounding glial cells become larger and more tightly wrapped around
the electrically conductive axon-dendrite pathways, thereby
transforming the memory from a short-term memory to a long-term
memory.[5]
Memories of similar objects reside in nearby regions of the brain, while
memories of exotic or exaggerated objects are farther away. By
forming memories with creative and unusual associations, many more
pathways are established, much like a spider weaving a bigger and
bigger web, in which each part leads to the center by many
interconnected pathways.
Memory links are also established when a variety of sensations and
muscular activity are engaged. Indeed, some people seem to be more
proficient at learning by either seeing, hearing or writing, but no one
method can provide the more numerous pathways provided by all three
in combination.
Memory is enhanced not only by repetition, but also by association and
exaggeration of certain features of the object. Many memories are
recalled as series of objects. For instance, a memory device to
remember four common logical fallacies is a picture of the Earth, with
the green continents and blue oceans, viewed from outer space with a
flight of white geese circling around it. This image is used to recall the
statement "geese circle every continent." The first letters of that

statement (gcec) stand for the logic fallacies of generalization,
circularities, either/or, and cause and effect. (These fallacies are
discussed in detail in a later chapter.)
Size, also, seems to play a role in memorization. During the Middle
Ages, memory contests were held annually. In one, the winner
remembered one hundred thousand sequential items. [6] A time-proven
memory method from the Middle Ages is association of abstract ideas
to large objects. The objects used for trigger recall seem to need to be
about the size of a human, so that, if we were blind, we could identify
the object by touch. Large objects in the memory seem to engage
muscular memory areas as well as sight memory areas in the brain and
expand the memory web. For instance, remembering the points of a
speech about a military battle might involving walking from one room
to another in a familiar house. In the first room a ship's anchor is
propped up in a corner, in the next room is a cannon, in the third room
is a large telescope, and the in the fourth room is a horse. This sequence
of anchor, cannon, telescope, horse might remind the speaker that the
speech is about a ship being bombarded from the shore by a cannon;
and that the cannon was captured when a scouting party saw the cannon
through a telescope and sent for the cavalry.
Imagining numbers as objects in three-dimensional space is a very
powerful way of remembering a series of numbers. This also seems to
engage muscular memory. For instance, we might imagine block
numbers for Pi, 3.1416. These numbered blocks should be about four
inches high and one inch thick and should be imagined rotating in
space about two feet to the front and about six inches above eye level.
We can imagine them rotating slowly in a circle through an entire
revolution. As they turn, we can mentally reach out and feel them with
our fingers on every side. Such exercises, involving three-dimensional
objects in space and muscles, allow the associated memory cells to
form many, many more links than just a single glance at written
numbers will form. Additional associations not only form more
axon-dendrite connections, but also cause an increase in the
surrounding glial sheath of the brain cell.

* * * * *
Research Skills.
1. Mindil, Phyllis. Power Reading. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall,
1993.
2. Robinson, Francis P. . Effective Studying. 4th ed. New York: Harper
and Row, 1970.
3. Spitzer, Herbert F. "Studies in Retention". Journal of Educational
Psychology. Vol. XXX (Dec. 1930) No. 9.
4. Minninger, Joan. _Total Recall -- How to Boost Your Memory
Power_. Emmaus, Pa: Rodale Press, 1984.
5. Neural mechanisms of learning and memory. Mark R. Rosenzweig
and Edward L. Bennett, eds. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press, c1976.
6. Spense, Jonathan D. The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci. New York:
Penquin Books, 1984.
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Practical Problem Solving
Sequential Problem Solving is a labor of love for all students who seek
success and for the parents and teachers who guide them. Sequential
Problem Solving also provides the lifelong-learner with the satisfaction
of being able to measure his performance.
The goal of Sequential Problem Solving is to provide learners with a
road map for successfully making decisions. Students can began their
adult lives with a framework that will help them pick noble goals,
know themselves,