1、How to Use Your MindThe 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 th
2、is eBook or online at 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 StudyAuthor: Harry D. KitsonRelease Date: January 11, 2004 EBook #10674Language: EnglishCharacter set encoding: ISO-8859-1* START OF THIS P
3、ROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO USE YOUR MIND *Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Daniel Ray and PG Distributed ProofreadersHOW TO USE YOUR MINDA PSYCHOLOGY OF STUDYBEING A MANUAL FOR THE USE OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF SUPERVISED STUDYBYHARRY D. KITSON, PH.D.PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY,
4、 INDIANA UNIVERSITY1921PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITIONThe 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 cha
5、pters, “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; t
6、he 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
7、THE FIRST EDITIONEducational 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 h
8、ow 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 effi
9、ciency, 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
10、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 o
11、f 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
12、 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
13、 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 tim
14、e 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 psychologic
15、al tests which have been described by the author in a monograph entitled, “The Scientific Study of the College Student.“1Footnote 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 g
16、iven 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 train
17、ing in methods of study into secondary and elementary schools is that more individuals will be helped, inasmuch as the eliminative process has not yet reached its culmination.In high schools where systematic supervision of study is a feature, classes are usually conducted in Methods of Study, and it
18、 is hoped that this book will meet the demand for a text-book for such classes, the material being well within the reach of high school students. In high schools where instruction in Methods of Study is given as part of a course in elementary psychology, the book should also prove useful, inasmuch a
19、s it gives a summary of psychological principles relating to the cognitive processes.In the grades the book cannot be put into the hands of the pupils, but it should be mastered by the teacher and applied in her supervising and teaching activities. Embodying, as it does, the results of researches in
20、 educational psychology, it should prove especially suitable for use in teachers reading circles where a concise presentation of the facts regarding the psychology of the learning process is desired.There is another group of students who need training in methods of study. Brain workers in business a
21、nd industry feel deeply the need of greater mental efficiency and seek eagerly for means to attain it. Their earnestness in this search is evidenced by the success of various systems for the training of memory, will, and other mental traits. Further evidence is found in the efforts of many corporati
22、ons to maintain schools and classes for the intellectual improvement of their employees. To all such the author offers the work with the hope that it may be useful in directing them toward greater mental efficiency.In courses in Methods of Study in which the book is used as a class-text, the instruc
23、tor should lay emphasis not upon memorization of the facts in the book, but upon the application of them in study. He should expect to see parallel with progress through the book, improvement in the mental ability of the students. Specific problems may well be arranged on the basis of the subjects o
24、f the curriculum, and students should be urged to utilize the suggestions immediately. The subjects treated in the book are those which the author has found in his experience with college students to constitute the most frequent sources of difficulty, and under these conditions, the sequence of topi
25、cs followed in the book has seemed most favorable for presentation. With other groups of students, however, another sequence of topics may be found desirable; if so, the order of topics may be changed. For example, in case the chapter on brain action is found to presuppose more physiological knowled
26、ge than that possessed by the students, it may be omitted or may be used merely for reference when enlightenment is desired upon some of the physiological descriptions in later chapters. Likewise, the chapter dealing with intellectual difficulties of college students may be omitted with non-collegia
27、te groups.The heavy obligation of the author to a number of writers will be apparent to one familiar with the literature of theoretical and educational psychology. No attempt is made to render specific acknowledgments, but special mention should be made of the large draughts made upon the two books
28、by Professor Stiles which treat so helpfully of the bodily relations of the student. These books contain so much good sense and scientific information that they should receive a prominent place among the books recommended to students. Thanks are due to Professor Edgar James Swift and Charles Scribne
29、rs Sons for permission to use a figure from “Mind in the Making“; and to J.B. Lippincott Company for adaptation of cuts from Villigers “Brain and Spinal Cord.“The author gratefully acknowledges helpful suggestions from Professors James R. Angell, Charles H. Judd and C. Judson Herrick, who have read
30、the greater part of the manuscript and have commented upon it to its betterment. The obligation refers, however, not only to the immediate preparation of this work but also to the encouragement which, for several years, the author has received from these scientists, first as student, later as collea
31、gue.THE AUTHOR.CHICAGO, September 25, 1916.CONTENTSCHAPTERI.INTELLECTUAL PROBLEMS OF THE COLLEGE FRESHMANNumber. Variety. Lecture Method. Note Taking. Amount of Library Work. High Quality Demanded. Necessity for Making Schedule. A College Course Consists in the Formation of Habits. Requires Active E
32、ffort on Part of Student. Importance of Good Form.II. NOTE TAKINGUses of Notes. LECTURE NOTES-Avoid Verbatim Reports. Maintain Attitude of Mental Activity. Seek Outline Chiefly. Use Notes in Preparing Next Lesson. READING NOTES-Summarize Rather Than Copy. Read With Questions in Mind. How to Read. Ho
33、w to Make Bibliographies. LABORATORY NOTES-Content. Form. Miscellaneous Hints.III. BRAIN ACTION DURING STUDYThe Organ of Mind. Gross Structure. Microscopic Structure. The Neurone. The Nervous Impulse. The Synapse. Properties of Nervous Tissue -Impressibility, Conductivity, Modifiability. Pathways Us
34、ed in Study-Sensory, Motor, Association. Study is a Process of Making Pathways in Brain.IV. FORMATION OF STUDY-HABITSDefinition of Habit. Examples. Inevitableness of Habits in Brain and Nervous System. How to Insure Useful Habits-Choose What Shall Enter; Choose Mode of Entrance; Choose Mode of Egres
35、s; Go Slowly at First; Observe Four Maxims. Advantages and Disadvantages of Habit. Ethical Consequences.V. ACTIVE IMAGINATIONNature of the Image. Its Use in Imagination. Necessity for Number, Variety, Sharpness. Source of “Imaginative“ Productions. Method of Developing Active Imaginative Powers: Cul
36、tivate Images in Great Number, Variety, Sharpness; Actively Combine the Elements of Past Experience.VI. FIRST AIDS TO MEMORY-IMPRESSIONFour Phases. Conditions of Impression: Care, Clearness, Choice of Favorable Sense Avenue, Repetition, Overlearning, Primacy, Distribution of Repetitions, (Inferences
37、 Bearing Upon Theme-writing), “Whole“ vs. “Part“ Method, “Rote“ vs. “logical“ Method, Intention.VII. SECOND AIDS TO MEMORY-RETENTION, RECALL AND RECOGNITIONRetention. Recall. Recall Contrasted With Impression. Practise Recall in Impression. Recognition. Advantages of Review. Memory Works According t
38、o Law. Possibility of Improvement. Connection With Other Mental Processes.VIII. CONCENTRATION OF ATTENTIONImportance in Mental Life. Analysis of Concrete Attentive State. Cross-section of Mental Stream. Focal Object, Clear; Marginal Objects, Dim. Fluctuation. Ease of Concentration Requires (1) Remov
39、al of All Marginal Distractions Possible, (2) Ignoring Others. Conditions Favorable for Concentration. Relation to Other Mental Processes.IX. HOW WE REASONReasoning Contrasted with Simpler Mental Operations. Illustrated by Method of Studying Geometry. Analysis of Reasoning Act: Recognition of Proble
40、m, Efforts to Solve It, Solution. Study in Problems. Requirements for Effective Reasoning: Many Ideas, Accessible, Clear. How to Clarify Ideas: Define, Classify. Relation Between Habit and Reasoning. Summary.X. EXPRESSION AS AN AID IN STUDYExpression an Inevitable Accompaniment of Nervous Activity.
41、Extent of Expressive Movements. Relation Between Ideas and Expressive Acts. Ethical Considerations. Methods of Expression Chiefly Used in Study: Speech, Writing, Drawing. Effects of Expression: (1) On Brain, (2) On Ideas. Hints on Development of Freedom of Expression.XI. HOW TO BECOME INTERESTED IN
42、A SUBJECTNature of Interest. Intellectual Interests Gained Through Experience. Many Possible Fields of Interest. Laws of Interest.XII. THE PLATEAU OF DESPONDMeasurement of Mental Progress. Analysis of the “Learning Curve.“ Irregularity. Rapid Progress at Beginning. The Plateau. Causes. Remedies.XIII
43、. MENTAL SECOND-WINDDescription: (1) Physical, (2) Mental. Hidden Sources of Energy. Retarding Effect of Fatigue. Analysis of Fatigue. How to Reduce Fatigue in Study.XIV. EXAMINATIONSPurposes. Continuous Effort and Cramming. Effective Methods of Reviewing. Immediate Preparation for an Examination Co
44、nduct in Examination-room. Attitude of Activity. Attitude of Confidence.XV. BODILY CONDITIONS FOB EFFECTIVE STUDYFOOD: Quantity, Quality, Surroundings. SLEEP: Amount, Conditions, Avoidance of Insomnia. EXERCISE: Regularity, Emphasis.SUGGESTIONS FOB FURTHER READINGINDEXHOW TO USE YOUR MINDCHAPTER IIN
45、TELLECTUAL PROBLEMS OF THE COLLEGE FRESHMANIn entering upon a college course you are taking a step that may completely revolutionize your life. You are facing new situations vastly different from any you have previously met. They are also of great variety, such as finding a place to eat and sleep, r
46、egulating your own finances, inaugurating a new social life, forming new friendships, and developing in body and mind. The problems connected with mental development will engage your chief attention. You are now going to use your mind more actively than ever before and should survey some of the inte
47、llectual difficulties before plunging into the fight.Perhaps the first difficulty you will encounter is the substitution of the lecture for the class recitation to which you were accustomed in high school. This substitution requires that you develop a new technic of learning, for the mental processe
48、s involved in an oral recitation are different from those used in listening to a lecture. The lecture system implies that the lecturer has a fund of knowledge about a certain field and has organized this knowledge in a form that is not duplicated in the literature of the subject. The manner of prese
49、ntation, then, is unique and is the only means of securing the knowledge in just that form. As soon as the words have left the mouth of the lecturer they cease to be accessible to you. Such conditions require a unique mental attitude and unique mental habits. You will be obliged, in the first place, to maintain sustained attention over long periods of time. The situation is not like that in reading, in which a temporary lapse of attention may be remedied by turning back and rereading. In listening to a lecture, you are obliged to catch the words “on the fl
