recognition, or "placing" the object, involves something more
than these feelings and rudimentary reactions. It involves the recall
of a context or scheme of events, and a fitting of the object into the
scheme.

Memory Training

The important question whether memory can be improved by any form of
training breaks up, in the light of our previous analysis, into the
four questions, whether memorizing can be improved, whether the power
of retention can be improved, whether recall can be improved, and
whether recognition can be improved. As to recognition, it is
difficult to imagine how to train it; the process is so elusive and so
direct. It has been found, however, that practice in recognizing a
certain class of objects improves one's standards of judgment as to
whether a feeling of familiarity is reliable or not; it enables one to
distinguish between feelings that have given correct recognitions and
the vaguer feelings that often lead one astray.

As to recall, certain hints were given above as to the efficient
management of this process, and probably practice in recalling a
certain sort of facts, checked up by results, would lead to
improvement.

As to retention, since this is not a performance but a resting state,
how could we possibly go about to effect an improvement? One
individual's brain is, to be sure, more retentive than another's; but
that seems a native trait, not to be altered by training.

On the other hand, the process of committing to memory, being a
straightforward and controllable activity, is {361} exceedingly
susceptible to training, and it is there, for the most part, that
memory training should be concentrated in order to yield results. It
does yield marked results. In the laboratory, the beginner in learning
lists of nonsense syllables makes poor work of it. He is emotionally
wrought up and uncertain of himself, goes to work in a random way
(like any beginner), perhaps tries to learn by pure rote or else
attempts to use devices that are ill-adapted to the material, and has
a slow and tedious job of it. With practice in learning this sort of
material, he learns to observe suitable groupings and relationships,
becomes sure of himself and free from the distraction of emotional
disturbance, and may even come to enjoy the work. Certainly he
improves greatly in speed of memorizing nonsense syllables. If,
instead, he practises on Spenser's "Faery Queen", he improves in that,
and may cut down his t