and the two syllables seem simply to belong
together in their own right. A pair of words, like "seldom--harbor",
that were first linked together by the intermediary thought of a boat
that seldom came into the harbor, become directly bound together as
mere words. A short-circuiting occurs, indirect attachments giving way
to direct. Even the outline and general purpose of a connected passage
may fade out of mind, when the passage becomes well learned, so that
it may be almost impossible for a schoolboy, who has learned his
little speech by heart, to deliver it with any consciousness of its
real meaning. A familiar act flattens out and tends to become
automatic and mechanical.

Economy in Memorizing

Memorizing is a form of mental work that is susceptible of management,
and several principles of scientific management have been worked out
that may greatly assist in the learning of a long and difficult
lesson. The problem has been approached from the angle of economy or
efficiency. Suppose a certain amount of time is allowed for the study
of a lesson, how can this time be best utilized?

The first principle of economy has already been sufficiently
emphasized: observant study, directed towards the finding of
relationships and significant facts, is much more efficient than mere
dull repetition.

{339}

The value of recitation in memorizing.

"Recitation" here means reciting to oneself. After the learner has
read his lesson once or twice, he may, instead of continuing simply to
read it, attempt to recite it, prompting himself without much delay
when he is stuck, and verifying his recitation by reference to the
paper. The question is whether this active reciting method of study is
or is not economical of time in memorizing, and whether or not it
fixes the lesson durably in memory. The matter has been thoroughly
tested, and the answer is unequivocally in favor of recitation. The
only outstanding question is as to how soon to start attempting to
recite, and probably no single answer can be given to this question,
so much depends on the kind of material studied, and on peculiarities
of the individual learner. Where the sense rather than the exact
wording of a lesson has to be learned, it is probably best to recite,
in outline, after the first reading, and to utilize the next reading
for filling in the outline.

The results of one series of experiments on this matter are summarized
in the adjoining table.

THE VALUE